“In ‘Tight Line’, I capture a scene that few have been privileged to see; one of the Masterworks paintings in my dedicated series celebrating the glorious fishing locations around the Highlands of Scotland.

A secret loch, far up in the highest hills of the Northern Highlands of Scotland, with a lone fisherman standing on its shores. This is one of the first paintings in this series, in which the interplay of light and water is the principal element of the chosen subject. We had been given permission by the owners to fish in the loch and keep the catch, as the waters were teeming with trout - trout that were very much enjoyed for our supper that evening.

This composition could be viewed either as a Landscape Painting, or as a Genre Painting; for it not only captures the essence of this remote location, but also tells the story of the fisherman’s pursuit and this moment in time as he cast his line.

Everything about this subject speaks of the Northern Highlands of Scotland. A vast expanse of remote landscape, set against the backdrop of the distant mountains tinged blue with the effect of aerial perspective. Sparkling clear light dancing across the water surface, a surface that belies the depth of the loch, burnished with the copper tones of peat. This is a landscape where the purity of the air makes visitors giddy with delight, as they gaze upon unspoilt vistas and absorb the tranquillity of it all.

METHOD - the majority of my Masterworks paintings are rendered in oils, as was a slightly different version of this composition. However, for this version, I wished to explore the possibilities of exploiting some of my traditional oil painting techniques with acrylic paints, as I did on another composition ‘Down to The Loch’. All three paintings were purchased by collectors and the two acrylic versions are now only available as Limited-Edition Prints.”

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

Paul Taggart

Artist : Author : Presenter : Producer