Author Archives: rosestrang

About rosestrang

Artist, Painter

September Eigg Series

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'September 2014 Eigg Series. No. 2' Ink and varnish on 5x5"

‘September 2014 Eigg Series. No. 2’ Ink and varnish on 5×5″

'September 2014 Eigg Series. No. 4' Ink and varnish on 5x5"

‘September 2014 Eigg Series. No. 4’ Ink and varnish on 5×5″

I’m back in Edinburgh now, missing the fresh air and various happenings on Eigg. As mentioned in previous blogs (Day Two and Day Three on Eigg) it was somewhat tricky uploading and blogging from my phone with an intermittent connection, but I also really felt I couldn’t do justice to my trip. It’s been a fascinating and stimulating time – there was very much a sense of contrast with my earlier trip in April – more people, more vegetation, much more going on..

I’ll be posting more paintings in the next few days, also some lovely footage of Gaelic singing by moonlight, among other videos.

The two paintings above were made in Laig Bay on Monday. A slightly surreal day, with a herd of cattle roaming the beach against the backdrop of the mountains of Rum, also Atzi Muramatsu playing cello. It got slightly windy so I built a fire, which all added to the idyllic outdoor studio setting. I was painting in black ink and have never in all my time as an artist managed to do so without the resulting black ink drenched hands! Afterwards we dropped in to say hello to Lucy Conway after our creative beach session (Lucy runs Eigg Box, which I wrote about in my April Eigg blog Painting No. 5 )

The sketches/paintings above are of a ship called the Leader which is cruising around the inner Hebrides with geologists, writers artists and musicians on board. The trip re-creates the journey made by geologist Hugh Miller in the summer of 1844. Among other things Hugh Miller discovered the bones of a Plesiosaurs on the north coast of Eigg.

I had no idea this fascinating historical journey coincided with my trip, and I discovered more when we were invited on to the geology day trip around the island on Sunday. Eigg is a truly extraordinary island from a geologist’s perspective, well, from any perspective, and our Sunday walk was enhanced with stories by Prof John Hudson, an expert on the geology of the small isles , also stories about past inhabitants by local historian Camille Dressler (interviewed in April’s Eigg blog in ‘Paintings No. 38 and 39’ )

As John Hudson mentioned during the geology trip on Sunday – Eigg’s landscape changes radically, evoking epic Norse sagas, when you climb out of Cleadale and over into the north end of Eigg.

In the photos below you can see the dramatic change from the gentle valley and sandy beaches of Cleadale to the dramatic rocky coastlines of the North end of Eigg…

Day 3 on Eigg

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My apologies for no blog yesterday, the logistics of blogging from my phone in a candlelit yurt with intermittent connection somewhat flummoxed me!

But yesterday was an amazing day – on laig beach painting with an open fire and bottle of wine in the sunshine, pretty idyllic ! Atzi wrote and played some music, and I took several vids.

As you can see I produced a few paintings but I’d like to do a bit more work on them when I’m back home.

As it’s a bit tricky to say the least uploading everything, I’m going to wait till I return to Edinburgh on Thursday, and in the meantime here are some neighbours..!

Day 2 on Eigg

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It’s been a busy time on Eigg so far, with a music session last night at the pier bar, then today a geology tra
il around the north end of the island led by Prof John Hudson, no time to paint!

Tomorrow the plan is to spend a day on Singing sands beach, where I’ll draw while Atsi plays cello (yes he has indeed brought his cello along!) So tomorrow we’ll see what’s produced from our singing sands bay workshop..

The weather has been beautiful, just wish I was here longer!

Above; Camille Dressler offers us water from a fresh spring

Cliffs of Cleadale

A magical evening at the Whitespace Gallery..

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To spend several months painting a subject can be quite a solitary challenge, though meaningful. Then when you share your efforts with the public, it’s a vulnerable moment to see your paintings (which seemed such large swathes of blank canvas) for the first time in the gallery, where they appear to be swallowed up in public space!

The journey from personal to public was borne along on a tide of good feeling, thanks to the help of family and friends! But also by two very moving performances by Jennifer L Williams and Atzi Muramatsu, who responded to the paintings in poetry and music.

Jennifer recited three poems, one of which was written in response to ‘Mountains of Rum from Laig Bay’, and Atzi improvised on cello to several paintings in the exhibition.

I was so very moved by their artistic responses, I found them quite magical, and I’ve included two videos here, along with the text of Jennifer’s poem.

The videos below (taken with my little digital camera!) show part of Atzi’s performance (mostly in response to ‘Moonlight on Eigg’). Followed by the poetry recital by Jennifer (also the poem text, and paintings – ‘Moonlight on Eigg’ and ‘Mountains of Rum from Laig Bay’ below the video links) …

Link: Cello performance, Atzi Muramatsu

Link: Poetry recital, Jennifer L Williams

Poem by Jennifer Williams:

Who lived in a country place as we do

The dead call out to the dead. David Harsent

Looking in from outside where the fire is burning
Looking in from outside so our hair seems to be on fire
Looking into the empty house whose only
People are the forgotten memories of ourselves

Looking in at the tides of dust and the peeling of mirrors
The peeling whose iridescence is reminiscent of shells
The pealing of bells signalling a memory about to appear
Long-buried because of its too-great pleasure

Silent as the witches whose innocence welds the tongue
Outside where we belong with the fire and the sea’s glass
Its waves of green astonishment lavishing the sand
The creatures of the deep and the wild salt

Looking in at our own reflection with sleep-heavy eyes
As if a spell has been cast from which we cannot wake
Our hands forever wet with the birth milk of the milkweed
Our breath, our image in the painting, fading

'Mountains of Rum from Laig Bay'. Acrylic on 40x30" canvas

‘Mountains of Rum from Laig Bay’. Acrylic on 40×30″ canvas

'Moonlight on Eigg'. Acrylic on 20x16" canvas

‘Moonlight on Eigg’. Acrylic on 20×16″ canvas

I felt so uplifted and inspired by the preview night, and I really look forward to future collaborations with Jennifer and Atzi. Also, many thanks to mum, dad, Alicia and Lucrezia for their help!

(resting weary toes!) Rose, Alicia and Lucretzia

Eigg Island Exhibition – Artworks

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These are all the artworks to be included in the Whitespace exhibition starting this Friday

(The Preview is this Friday at 6 – 9pm at Whitespace, 25 Howe Street, Edinburgh, EH3 6TF. The exhibition then runs daily from Saturday 19th July to Wednesday 23rd July, 10:30 to 5pm)

If you have any questions about the paintings (or prints of these) please email me at rose.strang@gmail.com

'Waves in the Rain, Singing Sands Bay'. Acrylic and ink on 40x30" canvas

‘Waves in the Rain, Singing Sands Bay’. Acrylic and ink on 40×30″ canvas

‘Mountains of Rum from Laig Bay’. Acrylic on 40×30″ canvas

'Cliffs of Cleadale'. Acrylic on 20x16" canvas

‘Cliffs of Cleadale’. Acrylic on 20×16″ canvas

'Cliffs of Cleadale 2'. Acrylic on 20x16" canvas

‘Cliffs of Cleadale 2’. Acrylic on 20×16″ canvas

'Sphagnum Moss'. Acrylic on 20x16" canvas

‘Sphagnum Moss’. Acrylic on 20×16″ canvas

'Wave, Singing Sand Bay'. Acrylic on 20x16" canvas

‘Wave, Singing Sand Bay’. Acrylic on 20×16″ canvas

‘Moonlight on Eigg’. Acrylic on 20×16″ canvas

'Boat in Pier Harbour 1'. Acrylic on 20x16" canvas

‘Boat in Pier Harbour 1’. Acrylic on 20×16″ canvas

'Boat in Pier Harbour 2'. Acrylic on 20x16" canvas

‘Boat in Pier Harbour 2’. Acrylic on 20×16″ canvas

'Seagull, Eigg Island'. Acrylic on 20x16" canvas

‘Seagull, Eigg Island’. Acrylic on 20×16″ canvas

‘Lighthouse’. Acrylic on 10×10″ wood

'Waves from Singing Sands Bay'. Acrylic and sand on 5x5" wood

‘Waves from Singing Sands Bay’. Acrylic and sand on 5×5″ wood

'Eigg Series No. 49'. Acrylic on 5x5" wood

‘Eigg Series No. 49’. Acrylic on 5×5″ wood

‘Boat’. Acrylic on 5×5″ wood

'Eigg Series No. 8'. Ink and acrylic on 5x5" wood

‘Eigg Series No. 8’. Ink and acrylic on 5×5″ wood

Green glass slow-motion waves

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These are most of the latest works for the Whitespace exhibition this Friday, just two more to go! I’ve made quite a few changes to ‘Rum from Laig Bay’ as it just didn’t capture the strange bottle-green slow-motion waves I was so fascinated by. This version seems closer to it..

(More info about the exhibition/times/dates Here )

‘Mountains of Rum from Laig Bay’. Acrylic on 40×30″ canvas

'Waves in the Rain, Singing Sands Bay'. Acrylic on 40x30" canvas

‘Waves in the Rain, Singing Sands Bay’. Acrylic on 40×30″ canvas

‘Cliffs of Cleadale’. Acrylic on 20×16″ canvas

‘Cliffs of Cleadale 2’. Acrylic on 20×16″ canvas

‘Wave, Singing Sand Bay’. Acrylic on 20×16″ canvas

‘Moonlight on Eigg’. Acrylic on 20×16″ canvas

‘Boat in Pier Harbour 1’. Acrylic on 20×16″ canvas

‘Seagull, Eigg Island’. Acrylic on 20×16″ canvas

Performances at Whitespace exhibition preview

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Postcards for the Whitespace exhibition. (don’t forget! – Preview 6-9pm 18th July!)

With just 16 days to finish four large works I’m slightly fretting! But with painting you can only take each day as it comes.

Performances for Whitespace

I’m very happy that two Edinburgh friends will be performing for the Whitespace exhibition preview on the 18th – Atzi Muramatsu and Jennifer Williams

jen

Jennifer is originally from New Jersey, she’s currently Programme Manager for the Scottish Poetry Library but for many years has been a writer, talented poet, and a performer with beautifully atmospheric vocal expression.

A book of Jennifer’s work Locust and Marlin has recently been published (viewable on title link)

Website: http://jlwilliamspoetry.co.uk/

Atzi Muramatsu, originally from Japan, is a talented cellist/composer who also wrote the filmscore for BAFTA award-winning film ‘The Making of Longbird’.

For the Whitespace preview, Atzi will be improvising music in response to my paintings – he improvised at last year’s exhibition, and it was such an imaginative way of perceiving the paintings – which also focused viewers amongst the busyness of a social occasion.

In addition to classical performance, Atzi also plays in the melodious yet moody Lipsync for a Lullaby

Website: http://www.atzi.co.uk/

It’s just great that Jennifer and Atzi will be performing at the private view, it makes this into a really special event!