Biggar

New painting

I laid out this new painting today. I have been working on the commission and it has gone through many stages and I think it’s finished now, but I just can’t get a decent photo! Very annoying.

Below is a photo taken from Buttercup Hill (my choice of name), where Missy gets to chase rabbits every day. The light was so gorgeous.

Tomorrow is my gardening day, so I better get to bed! I am always completely worn out after my Wednesday’s planting and weeding, but it’s really good to get out do some physical work. I just hope it doesn’t rain like it did today!

Stage 3

Here is the next stage of the commission. I have changed the sky a lot as you can see.. it’s interesting that in posting this I can see what I have to change more clearly than seeing it in reality! Anyone else finds this?

And a lovely photo of the cut grass before it was gathered for silage.

Evening Meadow

Little Mitchellwood, Biggar

This little wood is almost opposite Jasmin’s house and is just delightful. There was talk of it being developed, but the owner eventually donated it for community use. It was just lovely last week with all the beautiful blossom. The daffodils are fading fast, but bluebells are now starting to bloom. All the fields are full of lambs and we have a weeks worth of sunny days coming!

Evening Meadow
9 x 16 Oil/Linen

Above is another of my paintings recently finished. I do wish you could see them in reality. They are, if I may say so, so much better in reality!

Almost Christmas

All scenes from in and around Biggar, Scotland

I can’t believe that my last post was on the 8th December. I have been rather busy though. Barry arrived on the 15th December so I went down to London to meet him. Thankfully he came in before all the snow chaos began! We then drove up to Scotland to deliver a painting and managed to avoid getting stuck. It was just so beautiful up there and I just didn’t know which photo to post! Needless to say I haven’t had much time to paint. It’s lovely having Barry here. Last year we were apart for Christmas, so this is a treat.

Scotland




Dad and I arrived in Scotland yesterday. I am not sure why I always seem to be driving on the lovely days and on the days I can get out and do some work, it’s rather cloudy. Anyway, here are a few photos from my walk this morning with my friend Jasmin and her dog Missy in the stubble field behind her house. The views are breathtaking just a short walk down the lane. I know it’s going to be lovely… (fingers crossed!) on Wednesday so I shall be going out to the Tweed Valley to do some work.

Workshop in Scotland 19th September, 2011


I have finally firmed up the dates for my workshop in Scotland. I will post more information as things evolve, but here are the facts so far.

Cost of the actual workshop $450

Place to Stay – Skirling House

If I fill the hotel, I should get a little discount. There is another cheaper place if anyone is interested, but so far this one is the favourite! It is beautiful and the village of Skirling is pretty.

For 7 nights, single occupancy, 525 GBP, double occupany 805 GBP, so if you share it’s 402 GBP per person for the most expensive room. This includes breakfast.

On top of the basic price of the workshop, factor in your flight to Edinburgh, your accommodation and meals other than breakfast.

Depending upon how many people want to do the workshop I will hire a ‘people mover’ as we call them in the UK… a van with seats and will pick people up from Edinburgh airport. Of course some may wish to hire their own transport and possibly people can double up. But whatever happens if anyone is worried I can drive them and meet them from the airport.

Biggar/Skirling is 45 minutes south west of Edinburgh. You may even want to spend the first night in Edinburgh to get over jet lag. I have recommendations for a nice place to stay if anyone is interested.

So far, the cost of the workshop and accommodation for one week works out at around $1300. Add on flight and the cost of transport and extra meals. As I said earlier, there is another cheaper alternative for the accommodation.

Please email me if you are interested or need further information. mcwin@newmexico.com

Morning Mist, nr. Biggar, Scotland


Oil Pastel

Here is a little taster of a good old Scottish early morning mist! For some strange reason when I wake up and look outside and it’s all misty, you can’t stop me from grabbing all my supplies and a flask of coffee and driving off somewhere to do some painting! This morning was no exception! October 18th and there was such a heavy mist I could hardly see anything, but I knew that the sun would be breaking through, which it eventually did. It was quite an amusing morning because I was happily painting away and I heard a cockerel crow in the distance and because I was shrouded (I like that word) in mist, I couldn’t see a nearby farm. All of a sudden I remembered that my friend had ‘blue-toothed’ the cockerel sound from her phone to mine and it was actually my phone ringing! The cockerel, which we still have today on our phone here in the US, was a real Scottish cockerel, named Hannibal who lived with Jasmin. Sadly, he no longer with us. But his crow lives on!