24 Jun 2010

Literature & Lighthouses

Did these two drawings in the space of a matter of hours, and again, its amazing the variety of weathers Scotland can throw at you on a whim, from blazing sunshine to a storm in a teacup, (or whisky glass being Islay).

Painting not great as not done on watercolour paper but as had nothing else to hand, I couldn't resist trying to capture the dark clouds racing north from the Irish coast. The lighthouse is a Robert Stevenson one, built in 1825, the grandfather of Robert Louis Stevenson of 'Kidnapped' and 'Treasure Island' books. It was a family business building lighthouses, and Robert the younger bucked the trend and went off to test his literary leanings. I was actually named after one of his books, so I feel a lot of sympathy with him in doing what was definitely not expected of him. A man after my own heart...

7 comments:

  1. I like those drawings (the top sketch is my favourite), and the painting of the stormy skies is nice (I like painting dark and stormy skies a lot more than just blue sky). Very nice.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wonderful work. I love the drama of the dark clouds!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beautiful work! I wonder if they're done on Moleskine watercolor sketchbook...

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have a friend that makes fun of me because I like stormy skies. He views them like upset stomachs; I view them as energetic and powerful. Love how you captured those clouds!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Two great sketches - I think that sometimes the 'wrong' paper produces wonderful results!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I really like your work. The menacing clouds are outstanding. What watercolors did you use?

    ReplyDelete