Moorland

This is more of a sky drawing than a tree drawing but I am including it as I feel that those tiny trees to the right of the picture do make a difference even in a small way. A large drawing almost 16 x 20 inches, graphite on heavy white cartridge paper. I do love those wide open spaces be it a beach or a moorland. A breath of fresh air no complications just simplicity. It is said that when you have a lot on your mind it is good to go to those wide open beaches or moors and let your mind go free. I think we are made aware of how unimportant we are in the bigger scheme of things, that we have our part to play yet we are not the main player but provide support to the way the world unfolds. At least that is how it all appears when we are in those beautiful landscape areas. Once again I am enjoying the simplicity of drawing, after battling with oil paintings  in my studio this week!

Highland loch

This is quite a large drawing of a highland loch I am still enjoying the simplicity of drawing without the concerns of color. This is one of my favourite locations up on the west coast a quiet loch I arrived late in the afternoon and did a rough drawing which I later completed in my studio. There are some trees on the land area near to the shore and I think these do make a big difference to the mountain location. Drawn on cartridge paper using soft grades of graphite pencils. Happy drawing to you all!

River Dee

'River Dee' graphite on fine cartridge paper. 14 x 9 inches.

One of my favorite trips is driving through Deeside which is a lovely part of Aberdeenshire here in the highlands of Scotland. It is a lush area full of trees, castles and mountains viewed gently in the distance. This area still manages to retain a kind of wildness though the city of Aberdeen is not so far away. The river Dee winds its way for miles twisting and turning and almost all of the time there are trees nestled on it's banks. During the long winter months and even during wet summers there are misty days on this river which lend themselves very well to atmospheric drawings and paintings. The drawing you see here was done on such a day, I was staying in the area overnight and even though the rain seemed to want to hang around there were a few hours when only a gentle mist would float above the river lending itself to a really lovely scene for an artist to draw or paint!  I have decided to mount up (matt) my favourite drawings and look after them well as they remind me of special days out in the highlands in the peace and tranquility, walking in the mists and drawing from my car window as would more often happen during these damp times!