As Oxfordshire Artweeks invites you to take a trip into the mountains in a virtual art trail, we talk artists Ian https://www.artweeks.org/galleries/2020/ian-bailey and Heather Bailey https://www.artweeks.org/galleries/2020/heather-bailey who have long been inspired by the mountain views.
“For a long time, I was most inspired by the West Coast of Scotland. It is so different with the towering mountains and dramatic seascapes. I loved the quiet and isolation up there and the way the light constantly changes with the weather. It could be dark and grey and then just a few minutes later the cloud disperses and there’ll be fresh feeling and a dramatic sunset against a clear sky, for example.” explains Ian.
Photographer Ian was introduced to the West Coast of Scotland by his wife, Heather, who is also showcasing her art in the Artweeks festival portal. She grew up in Glasgow and fell in love with the coastal scenery during family holidays where the light, so she explains, is incredible.
“Against the backdrop of the giant mountains people seem so insignificant. I strip the shapes of the landscape back to the bare bones and try and capture that solitude, and the space both mental and physical that you find up there.’ says Heather, and this thread of purity, a desire to uncover and admire the elements within, also runs through Ian’s work.
However, although they often see a creative opportunity at the same time, Heather and Ian interpret the shapes that appear before them very differently, Heather imbuing her paintings with emotion whilst Ian has a more measured and technical approach. Ian’s landscapes tend to be black and white to highlight differences in shade and tone, whilst Heather squeezes pure deep colour onto canvas and mixes it in situ. Her palette is rich and vibrant with resonant oranges, rich reds, pinks, purples, blues and greens. “North Scotland has almost citric greens that jump out at you,” she smiles. “The Cotswolds are mellower, homelier shades, and they are surprisingly orange if you look! Where the reddish earth has been turned over in the fields, it is striking in sunshine against the olive and grass greens of the rolling hills.”
Click here for more: https://www.artweeks.org/festival/theme/mountain-views