I’m thrilled to be one of the invited artists for ‘Bass Rock’ at Fidra Fine Art in Gullane. The exhibition runs until 3 October 2021 and is a group show of artists who make work in response to this iconic volcanic rock situated off the coast of North Berwick.
My painting ‘The Approach’ was inspired by a beautiful set of photographs sent to me by a customer who had taken a boat trip out to the Bass Rock to see the gannets (something I’ve never been brave enough to do as I’m a bit terrified of the open sea!) and her images captured the bluest of skies and sea punctuated by the wonder that is the Bass Rock.
When I was a student in the 1990s at Edinburgh College of Art a fellow student of mine was obsessed by the rock and was always taking trains to North Berwick to draw and paint on the beach and I remember being quite bemused by her single mindedness. When I moved to East Lothian and then a bit further south to the Borders I too became quite captivated by it – I don’t think I’ll ever stop painting it! The light changes its presence minute by minute and for someone like me who loves the simplicity of a single motif it is the perfect muse.
