Artists have a need to travel to seek out the best images for a good landscape painting.
In Scotland we are blessed with plenty small towns and villages full of character, rivers, lochs, the highlands, beaches along the coastline and castles everywhere. It was on such an exploration looking for the next view that I came across the Falls of Dochart at Killin. It is very well known with the best view looking upstream from the bridge. However we artists are always looking for something different so I wondered if I could get a better view down at the waters edge rather than the obvious safe one from the top of the bridge. I wanted to get close to the river as it thundered under the bridge, so I had to travel a bit up the road to gain access to the river bank, then carefully make my way down towards the bridge without falling into the water. As I got nearer the water soaked rocks got a bit slippy, but I was a bit younger in them days and had little fear. However visitors to the area got quite alarmed at this young fella scrambling over the rocks at the waters edge as it was running at full spate. Once I reached my best position I had to crouch low to get the full effect of the turbulence of the raging river. The things we artists do to get the best view!!! However after taking a few photos I managed to clamber back over the rocks to safety. Back home I had some cracking images for a great oil painting of the Falls of Dochart. We artists are always a bit critical of our own efforts and never know when to stop as the painting is finished. When down under the bridge looking up stream I noticed a young pine tree growing on top of a large rock in the middle of the river. My painting did not show this wee pine tree to good effect, so I decided to make another painting but this time in acrylics, but to show my wee pine tree as a focal point. It meant a total change of appearance for this location, but then its what we do to create variety.
