New paintings, 'pinnacle series'

Here are four new paintings depicting Hebridean wilderness. In these I have deliberately sought out wild places, as far away as possible from the false constructs of human culture. They are being exhibited at the Affordable Art Fair next week in London. All are oil on canvas and 30"x20"



1. "Progressive Rock", Bruach-na-Frithe, Skye,

This was by far the most exhilarating mountain I have ever climbed, the sense of exposure on these jagged peaks was almost overpowering. The urge was to get down on all fours and crawl so as to feel less precarious. Twisted monoliths of gabbro and basalt confronted me with unknowable expressions, it was hard not to anthropomorphise their presence and feel an intruder among the ancient cosmic grandeur. This is from the summit looking back along the ridge towards 'the executioner'.

2 "Holiday in cyclopea" Bealach nan Lice, Skye

Another painting inspired by my climb up Bruach na Frithe. This is the view, long anticipated when the ridge is at last gained, looking over into the wilderness of Corruisk.


3 "The Quirraing", Skye

Watching the opening sequence of 'The Wicker Man' as Edward Woodward steers his seaplane towards Summerisle he flies over some spectacular spires of basalt, the weirdness of these forms creating an ominous mood to the film even before events unfold. This alien landscape is found at the Quirraing in NE Skye. Columns of basalt are slowly cleaving from the mountainside and slipping downwards in enormous sections leaving a maze of spires and paths between. I had read there was a large flat field in amongst it where cattle were kept secret from enemies and after some exploring we discovered exactly that; amid this chaos a flat pasture the size of a football pitch. It is a truly numinous location which the artist could spend his life depicting all the possibilities. From here you can look across the sea and see the highest mountains of the mainland nearly 80 miles away.

4 "Goats of Carsaig" Mull

Skye is truly magnificent but no longer an island now it is connected by a bridge to the rest of Britain, lorries thunder around its roads. Mull on the other hand is still an hour on the ferry from the mainland and it feels wonderful to be so isolated. This is Carsaig on Mull's south coast, some hours walk from the nearest road along a very rough 'path' one comes upon the fantastic basalt structures of the Carsaig arches. The coastline here is such a mix of geology, sandstone riverbeds, studded with boulders are sandwiched between hexagonal columns of basalt. It is easy to understand how early Christians were drawn here; was not this regular geometry proof of a creator? Yet ironically it was geology that demonstrated the vast age of the Earth and thus accomodated the theories of Charles Darwin. Indeed there is a natural selection of rock taking place here; survival of the vertical, that which was not absolutely upright is now boulders.

Here also goats have made their home miles from the human world, it is theirs and I am an intruder again. Maybe they just like to shelter under the rock but as I considered the form of the arch it struck me that it was very roughly goat-like, a horned form on legs. Do the goats see it so? Are they also drawn to the geology?