Pines

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Pines, Clashnettie, oil on card, 23.3 x 29 cm - available

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Large Beech, Clashnettie

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 Large Beech, Clashnettie, oil on card, 24.5 x 30.3 cm - available

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Beech tree, Clashnettie

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Beech tree, Clashnettie, oil on card, 30 x 35 cm - available

Having painted this, I shall take a pause before attempting some pictures in colour.

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Clashnettie: clouds 1

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Clashnettie:  clouds 1, oil on card, 20 x 15.5 cm - available

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Clashnettie: clouds 2

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Clashnettie:  clouds 2, oil on card, 20 x 12 cm - available

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Clashnettie: Scots pine

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Clashnettie: Scots pine, oil on card, 27.2 x 22.6 cm - available

In this,  I attempt to work with a paler monochrome - a grey brown, made with Cobalt Blue and Red Oxide.

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Clashnettie - Beeches

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Clashnettie - Beeches, oil on card, 20. 7 x 28.7 cm - available

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Clashnettie - a view across fields

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Clashnettie - a view across fields, oil on card, 20 x 28.6 cm

I am experimenting with different "black" mixtures - using Burnt or Raw Umber, Ultramarine and Red Oxide.

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Clashnettie - a view from the house: beginning my Residency here

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Clashnettie - a view from the house, oil on card, 25.7 x 21.7 cm - available

This is the first from  my Residency at Clashnettie Arts Centre, which is near Strathdon in Aberdeenshire, and which was paid for by a VACMA Creative Scotland grant.

It`s very peaceful here. The main challenge is the weather which is very changeable.

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Crown Street, Aberdeen

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Crown street,  Aberdeen oil on card, 25.6 x 21.6 cm - available

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The Woodies, Ruthrieston, Aberdeen

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The Woodies, Ruthrieston, Aberdeen,

 oil on canvas, 21 x 17.2 cm -available 

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Bon Accord Street, Aberdeen

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Bon Accord Street, Aberdeen, oil on card, 21.5 x 25.7 cm - available

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Victoria Bridge, Aberdeen

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Victoria Bridge, Aberdeen, oil on card, 22.7 x 18 cm - available

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Brig o' Dee, Aberdeen

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Brig o' Dee, Aberdeen , oil on card, 20 x 17.2 cm - available

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Aberdeen, Bon Accord Crescent

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Aberdeen, Bon Accord Crescent, oil on card, 20 x 22.3 cm  - available

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A house, Mannofield, Aberdeen

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A house, Mannofield, Aberdeen, oil on card, 211 x 250 mm -  available

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The Dee, Aberdeen, June, 2026

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The Dee, Aberdeen, June, 2026,  oil on card, 212 x 214 mm - available

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Rubislaw Terrace Gardens, Aberdeen, June 2026

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Rubislaw Terrace Gardens, Aberdeen, June 2026

Oil on card, 26 x 22 cm  - available 

The weather has been difficult, with frequent rain, and I haven`t been able to go painting as much as I`d like.

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Duthie Park, 20 May 2026

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Duthie Park, Aberdeen, 20 May, 2026, oil on card, c 185 x 210 mm - available

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Valencia: street; about Valencia

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 Valencia

Valencia is the most depersonalising big city I`ve spent much time in. I think you could become quite depressed living here.

It`s one of the least inspiring places to make art, despite the sunshine.

There`s a lot of flatness in Valencia. Flatness is very bad for a sense of place. You can feel quite hemmed in by buildings. The seafront is oddly uninspiring and sad and sits some way from the centre.

There are grand and often fantastical structures in the centre: railway stations, a fine food market, and of course the absurd but undoubtedly memorable City of Arts and Sciences building, but most of the city consists of eight storey peach, ream or light yellow blocks going on and on for mile after mile.

Valencia: street, oil on card, 25 x 20 cm - available

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