‘Hoy’. Mixed media on 15×15″ wood panel

Today’s painting is of the Isle of Hoy in Orkney (a recent commission). I’m quite happy with this now, particularly the texture of cliffs and layers of seabed built up over time.

‘Hoy’ means high ground, Hoy and the surrounding islands in the northwest of the Orkney Isles tilt upwards to create higher cliffs and hills. This rock formation is called ‘the Old Man of Hoy’, partly because it used to have an extra ‘leg’ which formed a bridge, but from this angle it does look figurative and reminds me of Easter Island sculptures.

I have a past connection to Orkney as I lived there for a year when I was about 20 when I joined the Orkney Youth Theatre. I remember the wild, wild weather, lashing rain and huge waves crashing over the ferries when we toured our plays to various remote islands (often performed to one or two bemused looking farmers and a few children!).

The story of Orkney is steeped in Viking and early Christian history which makes for interesting reading (or watching, if you’ve been following ‘Vikings’!).

It’s been an absolute pleasure to create this work, and I’ve enjoyed the contrast in colours from the ‘Nocturn’ series