Painting in progress (above, and below on the easel): Return III. Acrylic and oils on 32×32″ canvas. Rose Strang 2024

Today’s painting which explores many ideas related to the landscape of Aberlady and the effigy of a 13th century crusader that forms part of a ruined friary near the village. This one’s a bit more in keeping with my original theme than yesterday’s painting

I enjoyed going off in new directions yesterday, but there’s an atmosphere surrounding this series that I want to get across – basically how it feels to stand in front of this mysterious place hidden in the forests of Aberlady. Also I’m exploring the ideas that have taken both my painting and my imagination on a journey. At times it’s helped me contemplate a difficult subject – namely the ‘Holy war’ as it was titled in the middle ages.

Here are a couple of photos from our trip to the Carmelite friary at the weekend …