Tag Archives: forest paintings

Final Luffness painting, for now ..

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Above: Forest of Luffness 18. Oil on Canvas Diptych 30×30″ and 30×12″. Rose Strang 2025

This is the final painting in the current Luffness series. I may continue painting this theme later in the year but it would take a different form.

Rather than explain or describe the meaning behind this series, I’m going to let the documentary explain that.

It’s going to be beautiful, with specially commissioned music, a highly talented film-maker, powerful ideas, and moving observations, expressed by Richard Demarco. The first draft might be ready by mid July. After some final tweaks it should be ready for public viewing by August.

In the meantime, here are all the paintings in the series …

 

Forest of Luffness. Painting progress 20

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Above: Forest of Luffness 14. Oil on 30×30″ canvas. Rose Strang 2025

Today’s painting, which happily coincides with the palette of my favourite painting so far from the larger series. Details –

The other painting –

Forest of Luffness. Painting progress 19

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Above: Forest of Luffness 13. Oil on 30×30″ canvas. Rose Strang 2025

Getting into the flow of this series at last, with three large paintings that make sense together. It was a relief to get back to painting today after a nasty virus. More painting on Monday.

Here are a few more details …

Forest of Luffness. Painting progress 18

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Above: Forest of Luffness 12. Oil on 30×30″ canvas. Rose Strang 2025

Today’s painting returns to the mysterious forest. I’m quite happy with the looseness of the paint. It made me reprise yesterday’s painting as I wasn’t too happy with the figure of Richard. Here it is …

Also some close ups of today’s painting …

Forest of Luffness . Painting progress 15

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Above: Forest of Luffness 11. Oil on 30×30″ canvas. Rose Strang 2025

More work today on the Forest of Luffness series. Today’s painting features Richard Demarco beginning to explore the tomb, while in the background Emma walks into the picture with baby Atlas. It’s an odd composition but I liked the filmic sense of mystery. I enjoyed painting loosely and freely; more of this sort of painting to come I think.

A few close-ups and details …

Forest of Luffness. Painting progress 14

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Above: First of June. Forest of Luffness 10. Oil on 12×12″″ canvas. Rose Strang 2025.

Today I updated yesterday’s painting of Richard Demarco, and as usual I’m not at all sure I shoudn’t have left it! Still, it does actually loo more like Richard, and it did need a bit more grounding – so I added legs, hint of the chair etc, but quite sketchy.

In the upcoming documentary, we”ll be interviewing Richard about some of his past work – exploring dialogue between war-torn countries and the healing presence of art.

Back when I worked with Richard as an assistant archivist and curator, Richard was working with Mercy Corp on an exhibition called Beyond Conflict, whch explored the negative impact 9/11 had had on a western view of Muslims.

We’ll be discussing that exhibition in the upcoming doc’ and we’ll be exploring the role of faith in art – does it change what we seek to express, or what we look for in others’ artworks?

Some more views of today’s finished painting.

Forest of Luffness, painting progress – 12

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Above: First of June. Forest of Luffness 9. Oil on 30 by 30 inch canvas. Rose Strang 2025

This is the largest in a series of the same subject. I wanted to create it on a large scale to really get the sense of the figures in a forest – possibly lost, or perhaps they’ve discovered themselves in a different realm or time!

Here are the three paintings at different sizes –

Forests seem to have always been associated with mystery, a search, sometimes the idea of freedom from authority, or the idea of spiritual seclusion. I’m a fairly instinctive painter – I don’t begin with a definite concept that I then execute precisely – far from it! I think this approach echoes what I find in landscape and why I paint it. Adding figures always brings tension – it makes the viewer ask more questions, especially when the group are so srangely placed as they are in this painting.

More paintings coming soon, I’m having a little break from it for a couple of days while I write a book of short stories I’ve been working on. More on that later …

Here’s aclose-up of the figures –

Forest of Luffness. Painting progress 11

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Above: First of June. Forest of Luffness 8. Oil on 19.5×19.5 inch wood. Rose Strang 2025

This series is (at last) coming into its own now. It’s taken far longer than other painting series to become coherent as there have been a lot of elements to bring together.

I’m starting to see the theme of a search emerge – these figures in the forest asking questions of life and death. I’ve always loved Gauguin’s painting D’où venons-nous? Que sommes-nous? Où allons-nous?/Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? 1897 In which he asks these questions so fundamental to the human condition:

At the same time as painting this series (which explores the ruined remains of a 12th century Carmelite Friary) I’ve also been learning Medieval music from the time, which has become part of the documentary (by filmmaker Manuel Pennuto) about this entire project.

So, tomorrow I’ll share some photos showing part of the process, including really beautiful stills from our music recording session from the Song House at St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Edinburgh last week. Hugely inspiring!

Forest of Luffness, painting progress 10

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Above: First of June. Forest of Luffness 7. Oil on 12×12″ canvas. Rose Strang 2025

Today’s 12 by 12 inch oil on canvas sketch for the Forest of Luffness series. Also below, the same image (clickable) and a detail …

One more at this size then I’ll be on to 30×30 inch canvas, which will make life easier in some ways. It’s impossible to get more detail on faces at this small scale without getting finicky, which I don’t want.

With today’s painting I wanted to explore the sense of a group of people lost, or searching in a forest. On a larger scale it will be possible to have them smaller and more in the distance.

More on Monday …

Forest of Luffness, painting progress 9

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Above: First of June. Forest of Luffness 5. Oil on 12×12″ canvas. Rose Strang 2024

This series in progress is strting to take shape. Looking at the paintings as a little group so far I get the feeling of immersion in that place and time.

Here are the six preliminary oil sketches (on 12×12″) canvas so far (click on images to view in detail) …

I have another two small canvases to work on, then I’ll decide which to develop at a much larger size.

More about the series next week ….