“Drive over the Mound that links Dornoch to Golspie in Sutherland (Highlands of Scotland) - swing a right down a single-track road and on to Littleferry. Here you will arrive at what was once the jetty for the ferry that transported folk across Loch Fleet. Stand awhile and drink in the view across the Fleet looking westwards on to the distant mountains.

SUBJECT - Halfway on your right-hand side, along the shore you will spy a traditional stone building; known as The Girnal. A Girnal is the storehouse of goods being transported from an Estate (in this case the Sutherland Estate) onwards to final destinations. Nowadays this Girnal is used by those who visit the Highlands for a spot of fishing on river and loch. This painting depicts The Girnal, as seen from further up the shoreline.

COMPOSITION – Reflections of a summer sky, diminishing into the far distance, demanded a vertical interpretation for this particular scene. The foreground boat provides that splash of white against the copper-coloured, drying seaweed; which provides a focal point at the bottom of the composition. The curving, weed-strewn shoreline carries the eye into the distance.

The second focal point is the The Girnal itself, catching the summer light; beyond which the Highland hills begin to blur in the seasonal heat.

Now the eye can return across the water’s surface to drink in the myriad reflections in the crystal-clear waters of Loch Fleet and the seaweed gardens below.

METHOD – Although acrylics provide me with a modern, versatile medium, I really expand and exploit their possibilities through bringing into play the traditional techniques found in oils and watercolours. Working in layers, either from dark-to-light, or from light-to-dark, allow me the opportunity to adapt the medium to the subject. Glazing, tinting, tonking and other such traditional techniques, that I use in my oil paintings, when combined with the textural qualities available through the use of acrylic paint, effect many exciting results.

As always, we thank you for reading and watching, with best wishes from 

Eileen and myself,”

Paul Taggart

Artist : Author : Presenter : Producer