My Highland Colours

My inspiration for this painting, was my connection with my Scottish ancestry that seemed to envelop me on a walk that took me part way along the West Highland Way in Scotland. The biting midges prevented me from sitting for long to paint en plein air, so instead I wrote down the colours and made notes about the ever changing weather as transparent clouds and mist swirled and thinned and created glimpses of the sun lighting up intense colour then falling into vagueness. I painted the first two mapping out layers using a mix of semi-transparent layers and added some heavier texture with palette knives. The final layers were in glazes that have tints of each heather and foliage colours. The little path in the foreground was at the end of the loch we had been alongside but couldn't see through the trees, and it led me to this scene, a natural shelter from the wind. The heathers of gold and purple and foliage of ochres and greens stuck in my memory and nearly 23 years later, I found my notes and painted this scene from memory and intuition. The colours took hold and reminded me of the walk and the spirit-like connection I felt with the Scottish highlands. I come from a long line of Frasers, highlanders who were scattered to the lower regions back in the days of the clearings. Back up the path was my overnight waypoint for food and rest. The next day was filled with more colour and atmospheric adventures.