The Coigach series is a group of small oil paintings on wood, made in 2023. Coigach lies on the north-west coast of the Highlands, named after one of its mountains and known for its distinctive peaks such as Stac Pollaidh and Suilven. I have returned over decades to stay with family friends near Achiltibuie, and these paintings come from impressions of driving through the area, so the image keeps its glimpsed quality: a cottage or farmstead caught at the edge of vision, set against the shifting light and weather of the mountains. The approach owes something to the Dutch painter Ilse D’Hollander, who cycled through the countryside and painted her distilled memories of it back in the studio.

Currently exhibiting at The Braemar Gallery, Scotland

 

 

B L O G  L I N K S

I’ve always loved the impressions of landscape that remain in imagination. One of my favourite artists, Ilse d’Hollander, had a similar approach … Coigach 1

It’s always interesting when you feel you’re going in the right direction … Coigach 2

One of the most unusual evenings I experienced was on one of the smaller Summer Isles .. Coigach 3

Sometimes, hundreds of such images will play through my mind when I’m half asleep, which I find strangely magical … Coigach 4