Gathering Tide

Gathering Tide | Mixed Media on Canvas | 159 x 204 cm | SOLD

“I remember the sketch that started this painting. Quite often, once a painting is begun, where it started doesn’t really matter. But this one is  special. This piece started on a beach in the Outer Hebrides. The Isle of Harris. It was cold. It was raining. My daughter paddled stoically and my wee dog shivered and looked keen to leave. I had five minutes to capture this sketch, because, despite conditions, it was breathtakingly beautiful.

There was something in the expanse of sea and sky, reflecting each other in perfect harmony. I’m always trying to capture a feeling when I work, to lay onto canvas that ephemeral notion of contentment. For those five minutes when I stood and sketched in the wind and rain, I felt pure peace.