Quiet and Cold – Acrylic and Ink in a Watercolour Moleskine

Its official! Scotland is now in its most protracted and coldest spell for 50 years. Although we have snow and cold spells frequently this lot has lasted for around four weeks. Up until now we have experienced regular snow falls but the snow has now stopped and temperatures are steadily dropping. Its expected that lows of -25C and lower might be reached over the next few days. If you don’t hear from me – its been a pleasure knowing you all.

This scene is from the end of our street earlier today. Its strangely quiet as the local wildlife seems to have gone to ground. Maybe the animals and birds have more sense than us. Any wind, thankfully, has disappeared and the skies are becoming clearer. Its, actually, quite magical. I walked along the canal side this afternoon and the boats, moored there, look as if they are lying in a flat field as the frozen canal is covered in a layer of snow making it appear no different from the surrounding farmland. I must attempt a painting of this. Further north, on the Lake of Monteith, a “Bonspiel” is set to take place at the weekend. A Bonspiel, or “Grand Match” is the name given when thousands of curlers venture onto the frozen ice to play. This has only been possible a few times this century as the ice must be a minimum of 7″ thick. The last one was in 1979.