Much has been made recently of the stories being told by Glenmorangie Distillery in their videos, featuring the iconic Hollywood star, Harrison Ford; set against the backdrop of the Highlands, featuring music played by Traditional Highland Pipers. Glenmorangie Distillery and the Glenmorangie House Hotel are neighbours of ours, both much enjoyed by visitors from around the world, who are bowled-over by the Highland Welcome they receive on their travels around the Highlands.
In celebrating and chronicling this wonderful part of the world, in which we are fortunate to live and work - I have produced a number of collections featuring my Masterworks oil paintings and Miniatures. Amongst them, my Spirit of the Highlands Collection and my Highland Gems Collection. Within these, a suite of four Original Oil Paintings and their accompanying Limited-Edition Prints that are centred on Glenmorangie Distillery and the Glenmorangie House Hotel.
Much-beloved around the world, Glenmorangie whisky is steeped in the history of the Highlands of Scotland, where it continues to be distilled on the banks of the Dornoch Firth, north of Inverness. We thought we’d share my artworks and their stories as part of our Highland Welcome.
‘Highland Welcome’ – original Masterworks oil painting [above] and Limited-Edition Print
Welcome to our Highland studio and to my Masterworks oil painting, ‘Highland Welcome’ –purchased by a collector for the personal memories brought alive by this view. One of four oil paintings in the suite centred on Glenmorangie Distillery and Glenmorangie House Hotel (previously known as Glenmorangie Highland Home).
Shortly the field will be ploughed for another sowing and soon it will be Spring. The open gate beckons you onwards, to see what lies through the further gate, visible in the stone wall on the opposite edge of the field. Peeking through the rays of sunlight, which cut the scudding clouds, is the far distant peak of Ben Rinnes, across the waters of the Moray Firth.
Take the path that runs through the avenue of trees from the Glenmorangie House Hotel at Cadboll, seen here to the right of the Doocot in the field and you will reach cliff tops that bring you down to the shoreline walks from Hilton. Anyone you meet on your walk will bid you a friendly hello – a warm welcome to the Highlands.
I began the composition with the gate closed, thinking its wooden bars would echo the horizontal banding of the clouds and sea beyond. However, as the painting progressed, it became obvious that this actually became a barrier, preventing the viewer from passing through, to explore the landscape beyond. Opening the gate was the solution, for it not only provided an invitation to the viewer to venture into the landscape, but also allowed a far more interestingly shaped shadow to be developed in the foreground. To the right, the stacked hay suggests we are standing in a garden, or at least a managed plot, beyond lies nature with its sunny grassland.
The shining effects of sunlight pouring from the cloud base was, in reality, very much to my left – ‘pulling’ it into the composition provided a much-needed balance against the imposing structure of the stone doocot. This building was kept relatively small against the field, so that it would not over-dominate, but it does provide a strong vertical element against those horizontal bands of the landscape, sea and sky beyond.
If you would like to purchase any of our limited-edition or fund-raising prints, or enquire about an original painting – simply email us (click here) with your initial enquiry and we will be back in touch to take things forward. Whether it’s a treat for yourself, or a gift for someone special, we take great care of your requirements and we’re delighted to gift-wrap with our compliments.
We thank you for reading our latest news and for your continued interest in our work and, as ever, send best wishes, from Eileen and myself,”
Paul TaggartArtist, Author, Presenter, Producer
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