It’s a
while since I posted on my blog, so here’s a brief review of 2014.
After
my Lithography sessions working at Edinburgh Printmakers in January and the
preparations for the Lit&Phil exhibition in April, we sailed away to the Outer Hebrides for a short break exploring the islands
from Lewis, through Harris, then North and South Uist and down to Eriskay.
My
head was filled with memorable colours and textures, wonderful coastlines and
skies, always with Kathleen Jamie’s beautiful descriptions of the islands in
mind. I also had fun spotting the locations in Peter May’s ‘Lewis
Trilogy’! Mixed weather sent us back to
Skye in search of some mountain views - but the weather closed in even more -
so no drawing from this trip.
Back in Newcastle,
we installed my exhibition, ‘Mountains in Mind’, in the Lit&Phil main
reading room - a wonderful space.
It was great to be able to show a lot of my
drawings alongside some amazing early mountaineering books from the library’s collection.
The symposium, ‘Mountain Legacies,’ organised by Drs Abbie Garrington (Newcastle University)
and Chris Donaldson (Lancaster
University) and the
opening of the show were well attended.
My
presentation, ‘Meditations and Inspirations’, about spending time working in
the high mountains was also very well received. To my delight, someone fell in
love with my monotype of Island
Peak in the Khumbu,
having stood on the top of it himself, and took it home with him.
At
the end of June I had an exhibition at the lovely Customs House gallery by the
Tyne at South Shields. This was part of the
International Print Biennale which is organised by Northern Print. My large
monotype triptych of Ama Dablam was on show for the second time this year!
Then
it was time for our annual trip to the Alps and
Dolomites. Unseasonable weather again limited my drawing opportunities, but I
did make some work in the Chamonix valley.
Recently a visit to Barter Books in the old Alnwick rail
station yielded some inspiring mountain books.
In the introduction to his book, ‘Peaks and Valleys’, published in 1938, wonderful photographer, Frank Smythe writes:
‘..there
is no more difficult subject for the artist than a mountain, for mountains are
essentially static…. They are inimical to life, and the movement is restricted
to clouds, streams and the play of the wind, whilst the scale on which they are
built is as deceiving to the eye as to the brush. A skilful drawing or painting
of hill scenery needs no justification, but the daubs that find their way…even
into the Royal Academy…are proof that to any but an artist of exceptional skill
and experience, who must perforce devote himself to his subject, hills are
better left alone.’
No pressure then!
Autumn found me back working at Northern Print
at last! (More of that later).
The
year began with inspiration from William Tillyer’s amazing watercolours in his
exhibition at MIMA. ‘Against Nature’,
and from Ornulf Opdahl’s magnificent
Nordic landscapes at University Gallery in Newcastle. It ended with the equally
inspiring late Turner watercolours at Tate Britain
and the enormous Anselm Kiefer paintings and sculptures at the Royal Academy,
topped off by the moving late self portraits by Rembrandt at the National Gallery.
But now I’m off to read some more of Mrs Aubrey Le
Blond’s collection of colourful accounts of ‘True Tales of Mountain Adventure’ published
in 1903, courtesy of the Lit and Phil. With chapter headings like ‘A Wonderful
Feat by Two Ladies - a Perilous Climb’ - the ladies being Miss Anna and Miss
Ellen Pigeon of London, in 1869 - how can I resist!
I christened them by rolling up a polycarbonate
plate with some sumptuous blues and a touch of viridian and got down to wiping
the plate with high mountains and glaciers in mind.
These are the studies that inspired them.
