Artistic Inspiration ~ Breathtaking Glencoe and Glen Etiv

Wherever I wander,

Wherever I rove,

The hills of the Highlands

Forever I love.

~Robert Burns

The Weeping Glen

pastel on sanded paper

9 x 12"

300.00 (Unframed)

Glencoe was one of the places I was most excited to see in Scotland and it did not disappoint! Neither did Buachaille Etive Mòr or Glen Etive. They are all right in the same vicinity and I had to have taken at least a thousand photographs that day, knowing they would eventually become studies for paintings and drawings.

Here's some beautiful Gaelic music, by the lovely Julie Fowlis, for the journey. Press play!

We took off from our little place in Onich and headed East for Glencoe ...

The Three Sisters of Glencoe

It was gorgeous! This lovely piper was there playing which made it all the more incredible. It didn't matter that there were cars parked up to the view and people all around. We were all under the spell of the "Weeping Glen." 

There was a little girl in plaid with the piper selling tiny bunches of heather. It was so darling. My dad got one for my mom, of course. He does sweet things like that. :)

You can see many streams of water making their way down through the rocks and lushness of the landscape. I suppose it is one reason for calling it the Weeping Glen. There is also sad history of one clan slaughtering another at the behest of the British Crown. But, the earth in its beauty is healing and this place has a mystical beauty and energy that transports you.

My Travel Journal

Around the bend is a lovely waterfall.

And just a 10 or so minutes East of Glencoe is ...

Buachaille Etive Mòr 

Glen Etive

Then just another 3 minutes East on the A82 is the road to Glen Etive. It is a one lane road that seems to go on forever. Perhaps because we stopped every couple of hundred yards to take photos!

Above, is a little demo I did for my private student Parker. Below, is my demo with his large watercolor painting of Glen Etive. He was 12 at the time! 

It wouldn't be difficult to convince me that this place is what heaven looks like. It is truly magnificent.

After our Scottish photo safari we headed South to Kilchurn Castle, which will be in my next post. Check back for that, it's coming up soon!

Later in the day we drove back past Glen Etive and Buachaille Etive Mòr and through Glencoe. You can see how different it looks when the weather changes, and sometimes quickly!

Let the rain kiss you.

Let the rain beat upon

your head with silver liquid drops.

Let the rain sing you a lullaby.

~Langston Hughes

The Weeping Glen in the rain ...

Saint John

Scottish Episcopal Church

Ballachulish 

1842

For my solo show in December, I had three paintings of Scotland. One was Edinburgh, another was from the Isle of Skye, and the third was of Glencoe, the Weeping Glen.

All the paintings were done on wood panels. You can see how loose I start the painting with only washes of color. I begin by mixing the paint with a lot of mineral spirits. The tape you see peeling off is to protect the sides of the panel from getting messy which, only occasionally, works.

Another layer and a a lot thicker ...

Adding in more light and contrast. At this point I was getting ready to add the silver leaf, which all the Scotland paintings had.

Only a touch of silver on the horizon.

Glencoe, 2017

9 X 12"

Oil on wood panel

550.00

I love this gentleman. He does videos of his walks around Scotland. They are not a high tech, masterpiece, extravaganza but very charming and I love his voice! In this video he walks around Glencoe in very early spring before things turn green.

I am leaving on another trip soon and my boyfriend suggested I should probably finish Scotland  because I haven't even gotten to the part of the trip where we went to Italy. Alas, it was a slow year for posting. I got so busy with various things, including my solo show and now training for my Via Di Francesco Cammino of which I am doing a 165 km section.

Anyway, stay tuned!

I ran across this young lady, Claire Hastings, on YouTube and just adore her voice and spirit when she sings. Enjoy!

Blessings and light!