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Latest Updates: Scotland

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  trebor61 07:28:58 am on November 27, 2008 | Comments 4 | Permalink |
  

  

  Ghost stories are traditionally told at this time of year in Scotland so I’ve attempted to paint what is reputedly the most haunted place in my country. In 1679 around 400 “Covenanters” were imprisoned here and endured many years of harsh imprisonment before being executed or transported. It is said that their ghosts still cry out for vengeance and there are many tales of folk, who are daft enough to go on one of the many “Haunted Tours of Edinburgh’s Old Town”, becoming paralysed with fear when they visit the far end of the graveyard where many of the prisoners are buried. On a lighter note the small Skye Terrier, known as “Greyfriars Bobby who faithfully watched over his master’s grave for 14 years, is also buried in these grounds. Special dispensation was granted, in 1872, to bury an animal in consecrated ground.

  Tags: historic, Scotland

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• trebor61 01:48:37 pm on November 25, 2008 | Comments 2 | Permalink |
  

  

  Gathering Winter Fuel - Red squirrels in in the snow. Ink on a watercolour Moleskine.

  Red squirrels are gradually being confined to small pockets of woodland in Scotland and the UK, the grey squirrel being blamed for their demise. Work is on-going to built sanctuaries for this beast and, hopefully, their numbers will increase in the future.

  Tags: Scotland, Squirrels, winter

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• trebor61 01:40:09 pm on November 20, 2008 | Comments 6 | Permalink |
  

  

  It’s steadily getting colder here in Scotland. As I sat on this bitterly cold day, eating my bowl of gruel, I reflected on the wonderful summer this year. It was, I remembered, on July 8th. On that distant, sunny day I photographed this butterfly on a Buddleia bush in the garden. I decided to paint a copy to remind me of heat and to warm me up. If there is anyone out there with spare fuel, warm clothes etc please make a drawing of them and post it on this site.

  Tags: butterfly, Scotland, weather

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• trebor61 10:28:49 pm on November 18, 2008 | Comments 0 | Permalink |
  

  

  John Knox’s House, High Street, Edinburgh. Ink on a watercolour Moleskine

  It is debated whether John Knox, the great protestant reformer, actually lived in this building. Today, it is owned by the Church of Scotland and houses a museum. The original building dates back to the late 1400s.

  Tags: Historic Edinburgh, Scotland

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• trebor61 07:36:35 pm on November 8, 2008 | Comments 2 | Permalink |
  

  

  Calton Hill - Central Edinburgh. Ink/watercolour on a watercolour Moleskine.

  This is the view of Calton Hill as seen from the North Bridge which passes over Waverley Station leading from the east end of Prince’s Street to the old town of Edinburgh. The obelisk at the left is the Martyrs Memorial which commemorates political martyrs transported to Australia in 1783. It is situated in the Old Calton Cemetery. Next to that is St Andrew’s House, a government building. To the right is the cylindrical “Governors House” formerly for Calton Jail which used to be situated along the extreme right of this scene but is long demolished. Calton Hill offers some of the best views of all parts of Edinburgh. On top of the hill there is a “Greek Styled” building which is based on the Acropolis. This was intended as a memorial to commemorate Nelson’s victory over the French in 1815 but, when funds ran out, was never finished. It has been known, ever since, as Edinburgh’s disgrace. The small tower, at the extreme left of this painting, however, is known as Nelson’s Tower and has been used, for many years, as a timekeeping device for ships in the Firth of Forth. A spherical ball is hoisted to the top of the tower’s mast and, at exactly one o’clock, in the afternoon, drops downwards to provide a visual signal. At the same time, a cannon is fired from the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle to provide a backup, audio signal. This can be quite alarming – tourists be warned!

  Edit by ’skine.art…
  Found a panoramic photo from a slightly different vantage point, check it out:

  

  Tags: Claton Hill, edinburgh, Scotland

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• trebor61 06:24:30 am on November 6, 2008 | Comments 11 | Permalink |
  

  

  East Prince’s Street Gardens. Watercolour with some ink highlights on a watercolour Moleskine.

  Prince’s Street Gardens is divided into two sections by a steep hill, known as the “Mound” which allows access up to the Royal Mile from Prince’s Street. This, East section, is the smaller of the two and stops opposite Waverley Station. The Scott Monument stands in this part. The West Gardens lie below Edinburgh Castle and cover an old “loch” (the Nor’ Loch) which used to guard the foot of the castle a few hundred years ago.

  Tags: edinburgh, Gardens, Scotland

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• trebor61 03:14:20 pm on November 3, 2008 | Comments 6 | Permalink |
  

  

  Inverleith Park at dusk on a winter’s evening. Quick drawing, in a watercolour Moleskine, with ink and watercolour washes.

  The pond, in the foreground, is normally used for sailing model boats but, at this time of year, can freeze over.

  Tags: edinburgh, Inverleith Park, Scotland

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• trebor61 10:40:11 pm on November 1, 2008 | Comments 1 | Permalink |
  

  

  Naysmith Bridge, Evening. Almondell Park, West Lothian

  Ink washes on a watercolour Moleskine.

  Tags: bridge, Scotland

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• trebor61 05:48:25 pm on October 30, 2008 | Comments 6 | Permalink |
  

  

  Fishing boats, Southend Pier, Gigha.
  Watercolour/ink on a watercolour Moleskine.

  Gigha (pronounced “Gee-ah”) is sometimes known as “God’s Island. It lies off the west coast of Scotland’s Kintyre peninsula and is only about 4 miles long. This drawing is from a photograph I took when staying on the island in 2003, a year after the local community managed to buy the island to safeguard its future. I remember the visit coincided with incredibly hot, record breaking temperatures and I spent three days, painting next to a small beach with a wet towel around my neck. Happy days!

  Tags: Fishing, Gigha, Scotland

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• trebor61 10:48:46 am on October 29, 2008 | Comments 3 | Permalink |
  

  

  North Face of Ben Nevis - The highest mountain in the British Isles (4406 ft). Acrylic paint and ink on a watercolour Moleskine.

  Ben Nevis, part of the Grampian Mountain Range, is situated near Fort William in the Lochaber area of Scotland. Although it is possible to “walk” to the summit (carefully) the North face is for steely nerved, experienced climbers only.

  Tags: mountains, Scotland

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• trebor61 12:38:44 pm on October 26, 2008 | Comments 2 | Permalink |
  

  

  Birnam Bridge over the River Tay. Watercolour and Ink on a watercolour Moleskine. This stone bridge was built by Thomas Telford in 1809. It links the villages of Dunkeld and Birnam. Birnam was made famous by Shakespeare - Macbeth, witches et all.

  Tags: Birnam, Dunkeld, Scotland

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• trebor61 09:39:51 am on October 26, 2008 | Comments 2 | Permalink |
  

  

  Stirling University - Where children go to bankrupt their parents. Ink and watercolour wash on a watercolour Moleskine.
  This is one on the “newer universities” in Scotland. It was established in 1967 and offers a huge range of subjects but is probably best known for its contribution to health and sports education.

  Tags: Scotland, Stirling

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• trebor61 12:50:38 pm on October 25, 2008 | Comments 3 | Permalink |
  

  

  Giant Redwood Trees (Sequoiadendron giganteum) - Ink on a Watercolour Moleskine.
  I’ve always been fascinated by this type of tree but never have managed to see them in their native country, so this effort, which is copied from a photo my son Andrew took, will have to do. We do have redwood specimens in Scotland, the following link shows the ones at The Younger Botanical Gardens, Benmore by Cowall, Argyll & Bute. These trees are much smaller than the ones on the west coast of North America.
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/28475994@N00/2795005795/in/set-72157606937427672/

  Tags: Argyll, Scotland, trees

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• trebor61 05:41:48 pm on October 19, 2008 | Comments 0 | Permalink |
  

  

  Lamlash, Isle of Arran. Done in watercolour, in a Moleskine watercolour book, with some ink added. The “blueness” is caused by my attempts to manipulate my scanner to try to tone down the black outline around the shop on the left which I felt too dominating. Not too sure if this has worked. Anyway, visit Arran sometime. Its a great place and is not called “Scotland in minature” for nothing.

  Tags: arran, Scotland

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• trebor61 07:39:21 pm on October 18, 2008 | Comments 5 | Permalink |
  

  

  Pentland Hills in winter, south of Balerno near Edinburgh. This was done on a watercolour Moleskine with three colours of ink (Black, blue and red) following a suggestion by sjguild October 16, 2008. Thanks sjguild for the idea of allowing ink to flood into a wet background, separating into different “base” colours. This seems to have worked for my clouds and I am grateful for the opportunity to try something new. Shame about the spine of the Moleskine being so prominent. It looks as if we Scots go about planting glass poles in the countryside.

  Tags: edinburgh, ink, Pentland Hills, Scotland

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• trebor61 12:22:08 pm on October 17, 2008 | Comments 0 | Permalink |
  

  

  Dunkeld Cathedral. This is a fantastic place to visit. Part of the church is still used for worship despite other areas being in ruins. The grounds boast magnificent trees, such as Yew and Larch, some of which are hundreds of years old. This attempt is on a watercolour Moleskine outined in black and grey ink and rendered with watercolour washes.

  Tags: Dunkeld, Perthshire, Scotland

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• trebor61 03:21:43 pm on October 13, 2008 | Comments 2 | Permalink |
  

  

  Edinburgh Castle viewed from Castle Terrace. Most people are familiar with the castle viewed from Princes Street which is at right angles to the left of this page. This, in my opinion, is a far better view. Hope I’ve done it justice. Watercolour with coloured inks on watercolour Moleskine.

  Tags: castle, edinburgh, Scotland

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• trebor61 02:15:08 pm on October 11, 2008 | Comments 1 | Permalink |
  

  

  Larch trees near Selkirk, Scottish Borders. Captured on a trip last July. Line and watercolour wash on watercolour Moleskine

  Tags: Larch, Scotland, trees

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• trebor61 06:02:28 pm on October 10, 2008 | Comments 1 | Permalink |
  

  

  Black ink and coloured pencils on a small Moleskine. A quick view of Portree on the Isle of skye.

  Tags: Scotland

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• trebor61 02:36:26 pm on October 9, 2008 | Comments 2 | Permalink |
  

  

  An experiment using acrylic ink with some watercolour wash applied with brush and mapping pen. This is meant to be the QE2 during her last visit to Scottish waters on Tuesday 7th October. I watched her sailing down the Firth of Forth into the distance. She was nearing the end of her final cruise and will soon be off to Dubai to function as a floating hotel. A bit sad as she represents the finest of our, long gone shipbuilding industry. I am old enough to remember her being lauched in the 1960s.

  Tags: Forth Bridge, Queen Elizabeth 2nd., Scotland

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