Storm Passing Through the Outer Hebrides

The wild weather in these remote islands is legendary. This was an exhilarating visit to the Isle of Harris in early spring. The roaring wind and the spectacular curtains of rain that were visible on the horizon were so dramatic that I just stood and stared in awe. Eventually, I found a cozy nook among the rocks on the shore and sat down to watch more comfortably. I gradually became rather stiff and raced back to my digs and started sketching immediately to capture the moment in my sketchbook using several different inks. The challenge back in the studio when transferring the memory onto a canvas was to combine both the subtlety of the colours and the drama of the scene with oil paint. The sketches proved to be a valuable resource. However, the painting is based on the memory and a composite of the sketches.