For the first painting of the trip, Melanie took me to the little harbour of Portsoy. Such a little gem! It took me some time to choose the perfect spot to paint but at the end I settled for this view that shows both the harbour and the lush green hills in the background.
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| Portsoy harbour, Scotland 12"x10" oil on board Available here |
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Here are some shots of the progress:
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| Melanie in action |
In the afternoon, we went to the beautiful coastal village of Cullen. We only had an hour to spare so produced a quick study of the sea. I enjoyed looking for all the shades of blue, green and turquoise in the water and trying to keep up with the big waves.
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| Waves, Cullen, Scotland 10"x8" oil on board Available here |
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The next day, we stayed near Melanie's house and went painting in the Estate nearby (Monymusk house estate with the river Don flowing through). It was a glorious crisp sunny day and the autumn colours were in full swing, a real feast for the eyes.
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| Bright Autumn day, River Don, Aberdeenshire 16"x9" oil on board Available here |
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We painted in the shade to avoid sun reflections on the canvas but it meant it was pretty cold...
After that, Melanie popped back home for lunch and to feed her baby but I decided to stay and paint more. For those who know me well, you probably know that I've never skipped a meal in my life and that food always comes first. So it is a real testament to the beauty of the place, that I chose it over my lunch! And Melanie was kind enough to bring me sandwiches afterwards. A win-win situation!
I really enjoyed painting this one, capturing the lovely colours of the distant hills.
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| River Don, Aberdeenshire 10"x8" oil on board Available here |
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Time for one more painting that day, and Melanie took us on a trek to the top of the hill to enjoy the beautiful views over the estate. A beautiful explosion of pink, orange and greens with the afternoon sunshine casting long shadows in the fields.
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| Monymusk house estate, Aberdeenshire 12"x10" oil on board Available here |
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The following day, the rain was back, but it didn't stop us of course. We drove around looking for inspiration and this foggy view with sheep really caught our eyes. There was no time for precision or meticulous work, but instead we just had to go for it! I ended up with something very lose but I think I like it that way...
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| Sheep in the rain, Aberdeenshire 10"x8" oil on board Available here |
We had to paint with our umbrellas to stop the water mixing with the paints. We both looked as mad as each others but had such a great time! I found that the enjoyment you get from painting is often directly correlated to how ridiculous your outfit is!
Here are a few details below:
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You can see the traces left by the rain drops on this one below!
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The next painting I did (still in the rain) was quite terrible so I decided to wipe it afterwards so I wouldn't have to stare at it ever again! :-)
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| The garden from the window, Monymusk, Aberdeenshire 8”x6,5” oil on board Available here |
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All my paintings from this trip can be seen and purchased on my website here.
And if you're not yet familiar with her work, I recommend you to have a look at Melanie's lovely paintings on her brand new website here: https://www.melanie-harrison.com/
To finish, just a quick note to say I have a few wall and desk calendars still available so if you would like one in time for Christmas, order it soon here:
http://www.valeriepirlot.com/shop
All there is left to say now is to wish you all already a wonderful Christmas and fantastic new year.
