Putting ‘Soft’ Back in Software
When I’m not snapping pictures of foreign landscapes or in the studio scooping up pigments and spreading on canvas with a knife, I’m hard at work helping software companies make their products easier to use. If you or your company need an experienced user experience consultant to work with your development team here’s where you can […]
Bona Lighthouse
Ever since I saw this tiny lighthouse from the window of the Jacobite cruise ship, I wanted to paint it. Once the smallest manned lighthouse in the UK, the Bona Lighthouse on the Caledonian Canal kept ships safe with a single paraffin lamp in a bedroom window. Today the building has been restored and converted into a holiday house, room here […]
Red Robe
Reclining female in red robe. I used this sketch as a reference for a painting but wasn’t able to capture the energy of the original. I did this sketch in Life Drawing class at the Mountain Art Center in Ben Lomond. The Art Center offers weekly classes. No need to plan ahead, just drop-in and join in […]
Copper Kettle
I have this piece hanging in my living room, a daily reminder of my love affair with copper. It started with a penny. As I grew, so did my collection of pocket sized art pieces. Of course they are all similar, but no two are exactly the same, and the best-of-the-best were tucked away. We […]
Bean-shìdh
Bean-shìdh is Gaelic for Fairy. This composite image is from a photo I took while hiking to the Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye. It’s about a forty minute walk from the car park to the main pools and well worth the effort. Bring a lunch, I did, and sat on one of these amazing rocks looking down […]
Pillboxes Roseisle Beach
Along the northeast coast of Scotland many of the beaches are covered in so many pebbles and empty muscle shells that you can’t really layout on the sand. Roseisle Beach just a few miles east of Findhorn Village is a lovely sandy haven. The Germans must have noticed this sandy shore too. To prevent foreign […]
Ruda
Ruda is the Gaelic for Ram. This rock cliff overlooks Neist Point Lighthouse on the Isle of Skye off the western coast of Scotland. The day I was there I saw goats and sheep grazing on the hillside. I also discovered a yogi sitting in the lotus position at the base of the ram horned […]
Lupin Castles
You can find these lovely lupins blooming at the Boath House, a Georgian Mansion thirty minutes east of Inverness. The eight room hotel has been completely restored and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. But for a real treat save room for afternoon tea and a walk through the 22-acre estate.
Findhorn Bluffs
I rented a room in a flat in Findhorn Village so I often walked around the horn, past the bay to the open ocean. This is the view looking back at the marina from the bluffs. The bluffs provided a wind break and a nice place to set up my easel to paint.
Abandoned Bridge
This abandoned bridge was off to the side A82 on my way to Oban. The road ran over it before they upgraded to a steal bridge.
Gesture Drawings
Standing one-minute poses are something you’ll do at the start of most Life Drawing sessions. These quick sketches are usually done on cheap newsprint with vine charcoal. Vine charcoal is made from willow vines that have been burned at high temperatures. One of the big advantages of charcoal is how easily it can be erased. In this sketch. If you look […]
Findhorn Marina – Plein Air
In September we had the first day of sun with no rain so I gathered up my easel and headed down to the Marina. I walked around to the far side of the horn so I could capture the marina behind the mored boats. I had a few visitors walk by. All were very respectful […]
Body as a Light Source
Working in charcoal is a good way to study light and shadow. Notice the little highlight under the breast and how it helps create volume. The body is actually the light source, its bouncing light back up into the breast shadow. In this sketch I’ve broken one of the cardinal rules of figure drawing; thou shalt not crop the head. What would […]