A few minutes after I arrived back in Orkney there was a knock at the door and two boxes of canvases were delivered. Delivery to the Outer Isles is not an exact science and Im always relieved when packages arrive here safely.
I have made good use of the days of sunshine, avoiding the sharp showers and taking my canvases outside- sketching in charcoal onto the canvas and then painting back in my studio. This series of paintings are all created within 5 minutes walk from my studio.
I had the opportunity to see two exhibitions of Ivon Hitchens work before I arrived. A treat to see, particularly the exhibition at Pallant House including his astonishing late paintings with all their energy and colour. I have dotted postcards of his work around the cottage. This is not an attempt to copy but to be inspired. A quote from Ivon Hitchens sketchbook in the Pallant House exhibition reads:
‘Don’t try to find a picture. Find a place you like and discover the picture in that.’
Sketching on canvas Westray July 2019
July, Fitty Hill, Westray I Alison Clark 2019. North Isles 2 Exhibition, Old Library, Kirkwall 3rd to 24th August 2019
July, Fitty Hill, Westray II Alison Clark 2019
July, West Kirbest to Rousay. Alison Clark 2019