Granny trolley adventures!
So, I’ve discovered that my Jackson’s field easel is a cumbersome thing , far too heavy to get very far. Solution? A £14.99 trolley from Argos. Works a treat. I packed it with the easel, a camping chair, extra layers, umbrellas… and off I went.
My boyfriend was working a freelance week at Dounans Outdoor Centre in Aberfoyle, so I drove him there and then took the van a little further down the road to Loch Ard. He’d told me about a spot he uses when taking groups of kids out kayaking. I wanted to try and paint one of the houses looking over the water, a view with lots of points of interest to pack into a painting.
I found a marshy little patch to settle into, the only spot with the view I wanted (without trees blocking everything). I really wanted to include one of the houses. I kept wondering what it must feel like to live somewhere so beautiful and calm… though not that calm, with kids shrieking with delight on the loch just nearby.
And honestly, that made me happy too. It’s so important that children get access to nature like this. In fact, Dounans Outdoor Centre was recently in the news — the BBC asked: “Should all pupils get the right to an outdoor education week?” It’s something that’s been debated in parliament and is waiting on funding. I can’t help but think that it has to be a yes. Imagine being a child who’s never worn wellies, never walked on mud, never swum anywhere other than a pool, never climbed a tree? These are stories of children that get gifted the chance to visit a centre with their school. Every child should have that chance. It’s not about learning to kayak - it’s about play, taking risks, connection, learning the value of nature, resilience, creating relationships… the list goes on. And this spot is only half an hour from Glasgow, but its another world from so many children. It feels too important to lose.
For me personally, being in nature is healing. These paintings force me to stay still and really observe every moment - sometimes for up to five hours. They shift with the day. They hold me in them, the weather in them, the moment in them. If I stood there again tomorrow, it would be a completely different painting. That’s what I love - each one is a little record of how that day felt.
This painting will be part of a new collection I’m working towards....coming soon!
