The Old Viaduct, Almondell Park – Watercolour

After 30 or so posts, where I have experimented with different media such as charcoal, pastel and even using just pencil, I’ve come full circle and returned to watercolour. This is the medium I started to paint in all these years ago and is still my favourite. The experiment, however, has been useful in as much as I now know – and appreciate that it is OK to mix stuff for certain effects. It would be interesting to see what others think and what experience they have of using “mixed media”.

Another scene from the Park. This is an old viaduct, probably dating back to the mid 1800′s and probably used to carry a light rail line over the River Almond about 80 feet below. There are many similar structures in my part of the world some connected with the Union Canal which I’ve painted many times. The link should take you to some of the Aqueducts near to where I stay so you can compare and contrast the structures.

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/10656

http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/52727/details/edinburgh+union+canal+slateford+aqueduct/

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/790678

The last link – the Almond Aqueduct, features highly in my memory. Special barges, narrow boats kitted out for handicapped passengers are based here in Ratho and offer excursions along the canal. I once had the honour of steering the barge over this aqueduct and was told, by the “Skipper” that anyone, on their first shot in charge, who managed to get the boat across without touching the sides would receive a coin. I actually made it and he tossed the coin in my direction. Of course, I failed to catch it and its still at the bottom of the canal.