I recently attended an interesting weekend workshop at the Moniack Mhor writers’ centre. Titled Words in the Landscape and led by poet Gerry Cambridge, this involved walking out into the Highland landscape and gathering inspiration for the written word. I have always felt that , when painting on location outdoors, so much of the experience is not recorded – sounds, smells, changes in the weather, cold and wet conditions, freezing temperatures, visits by wildlife etc. This was, for me, a way of trying to find ways to incorporate other references into my paintings, as well as, for the first time in many years, experimenting with creative writing.
It was also an opportunity to do some reportage sketching as I was walking around.
