sparkling sea, looking west from Neist Point
We just came back from a trip to Skye. It’s a cold island with beautiful silver light that many artists try to capture in paint. I think Winifred Nicholson managed it but I haven’t seen any other painters succeed. Still, that was no reason not to attempt a few sketches of my own, with a possible bigger studio work in mind. The sea shimmered and the coral beach looked like a tropical lagoon.
This was a hasty plein air attempt carried out on a beach miles from anywhere. I sometimes wonder about such places, visited after hours of walking, and wonder if I’ll ever visit them again.
remote beach at Dibidal, Skye, with white sand and surf, mixed media, sketchbook work, approx 8 inches square
The tropical shores of Skye.
the coral beach
On the Durinish coast there are many outlandish rock formations, including MacLeod’s forbidding Maidens, seen in the distance, waiting to surprise unwary travellers.
Sea of the Hebrides, mixed media sketchbook work, approx 8 inches square
On the way to the sparkling sea views near the lighthouse you pass through the otherworldly landscape of Waterstein.
Waterstein
The local beach, virtually ignored by tourists, is just as delightful as any of Skye’s more famous locations.
watercolour sketch of loch Pooltiel painted from the beach at Glendale, approx 5 inches square
