Exhibition Dufftown October 2008
I was pleased to revisit a beautiful area in Moray for my latest exhibition at the Glenfiddich Distillery Gallery, Dufftown in October. The gallery had been painted and was made ready for me by Andy Fairgrieve.
I opened on Saturday the 12th October with an invited guest list and on Sunday to the general public. I met many interesting people during the week. One newly engaged couple from Seattle bought an original painting and I was delighted to think of my paintings going on such a long journey across ‘the pond’ to America.
Another painting was bought by a lovely young couple who had bought an old cottage outside Aberdeen and had felt that my painting of Northeast Cottage reminded them of the building that they had to demolish in order to start building their new house. I came in contact with a couple who had been my neighbours in Elgin in 1972. We had not seen each other in 35 years, amazing or what!
Many family and friends made the journey from Aberdeen and Dingwall which was very thoughtful of them and the Lossiemouth Art Club came on a day outing.
My memories, now in the coolness of December, were of how beautiful the autumn landscape was and the wild cherry trees with their fantastic bright red colours were simply breathtaking.
I am looking forward to going back next year in May and seeing the spring countryside. My husband is also looking forward with longing to fishing the River Deveron and the Don with his friend Ian Sharp. Ian and his wife Betty have become my agents for the area, so if you are local to the area and would like to see some of my work, you can get in touch with them at ‘Castle View’, Auchindoun, Dufftown.
I would like to thank Richard Cotton and the Glenfiddich Team for all their help in making the week such a pleasant one and look forward to next year so I had better get painting!
Update - 2008
We have had a very exciting year. After over 70 years combined teaching both my husband and I have taken early retirement from teaching. I still have a small consultancy commitment to education, which I enjoy.
We also moved house at the beginning of this year into a lovely town house which is over one hundred and fifty years old. It is a red sandstone house which has a tower and needless to say this is my painting studio It is very small but the uniqueness of it more than makes up for it. There is also a good roof /loft space at the top of the house that we envisage making into a private gallery. My husband has finished making a super garden and doing all the tasks that need to be done when one moves house, he has been a saint and with help from our friends moving was not so difficult as we had thought it would be.
On the painting front I have completed some Scottish landscapes which you will see on my Scottish section. I am hoping to do some paintings for interiors and I have included one of my collage pieces on a new section of my site, which I have completed. This is an area that I enjoy as my designing background is firmly rooted in using fabric and mixed media.
Update - 2007
My latest travels have been to Spain, chiefly Andalusia and the inland areas of Ronda and the hill town of Teba in particular. As a Scot, I was fascinated to learn through conversations with my friend Graham Waddington, a designer and poet, that Teba has very strong associations with Robert the Bruce, King of Scots as the stone tablet set in Teba's Douglas Square announces.
Graham has been researching Scottish history; chiefly because he has meticulously traced his own family tree through the Cathcarts and in this instance their close connection with Robert the Bruce. Graham and I have been involved in a joint poetic/artistic venture which has resulted in an anthology of Scottish poetry and illustrations called "From the Heart'', which we hope to publish in the near future.
I had the privilege of visiting Teba and was greatly impressed by the wonderful view from the top of the ruined castle. The earthly colours and the textures of this mountainous inland area of Andalusia were breathtakingly beautiful and this has influenced and focussed my work into several Spanish paintings. These can be seen in the Spanish landscape section of the site.
I hope you enjoy the new paintings.
I enjoy the feedback that you give me.