Rob Wigham Watercolours
  • Home
    • Available Work >
      • A Walk on West Beach, Lossiemouth
      • Springtime at Winding Walks, Fochabers
      • Loch na Bo
      • Kingston Beach
    • Our Prints >
      • Coastline Prints >
        • Nairn to Findhorn >
          • On Findhorn Beach
          • Findhorn Shoreline
          • Nairn Harbour Sunset
          • Sunset at Findhorn Bay
          • Evening Calm at Findhorn
          • Findhorn Sunset
          • Looking West from Nairn Beach
          • Nairn Harbour from Central Beach
          • Evening in Findhorn
          • A Walk on Roseisle Beach
        • Burghead to Hopeman >
          • Burghead from the Beach
          • Hopeman West Beach
          • Burghead from Hopeman Beach
          • On Cummingston Beach
          • The Beach Huts at Hopeman
          • Hopeman Harbour Reflections
          • Hopeman Harbour and Beaches
          • Sunshine at Cove Bay, Hopeman
          • Burghead Harbour from the Sea Wall
          • Fishing Boats in the Inner Harbour, Burghead
          • Hopeman Harbour from the Headland
          • Ketches Unloading at Hopeman
          • Sunsrise Over Burghead
          • Cummingston Sunset
          • Low Tide at Hopeman
        • Lossiemouth >
          • Two Bridges at Lossiemouth
          • A Walk on West Beach, Lossiemouth
          • Lossiemouth's Old Bridge Sunset
          • Lossiemouth Memories
          • Old Friends
          • Lossiemouth's Old Bridge
          • Fishing Boats at Lossie
          • Covesea Lighthouse View
          • Sunset Over Lossiemouth
          • Setting Out from Lossiemouth
          • Sunrise Just for Us at Lossiemouth
          • A Walk on Lossiemouth Beach
          • Covesea Lighthouse Sunset
          • Covesea Lighthouse from the Beach
          • The Old Bridge, Lossiemouth
          • Lossie Beach to Ourselves!
        • Kingston to Portessie >
          • Sunset on the River Spey
          • Kingston Beach
          • Setting Out from Buckie
          • Memories of Portgordon
          • Over the Yardie at Buckie
          • The Rooftops of Portessie
          • The Spey Viaduct from the River
          • Strathlene Caravans
          • A Walk at Strathlene
          • Buckpool Shoreline
        • Findochty to Cullen >
          • Through Cullen Viaduct
          • The Two Kings at Cullen
          • Cullen Harbour View
          • Findochty Harbour
          • Over the Rooftops of Cullen
          • The Ruins of Findlater Castle
          • Findochty Shoreline
          • Cullen Auld Kirk
          • Portknockie Harbour View
          • Sunrise at Bow Fiddle Rock
          • The Harbour at Portknockie
          • Seatown from Castle Hill, Cullen
          • Cullen's Rocky Shoreline
          • Morning Light Above Cullen
        • Fordyce and Portsoy >
          • Portsoy View
          • Summer in Portsoy
          • Sandend Harbour from the Brae
          • Tom's Jetty, Portsoy
          • Portsoy Caravans from the Brae
          • Portsoy Memories
          • Portsoy's New Harbour View
          • Sunshine at Portsoy
          • Summer at Portsoy (Greyscale)
          • Fordyce Castle and Kirk
          • A Walk at Sandend
          • The Rocks at Whitehills
        • Banff to Pennan >
          • Banff Harbour Sunshine
          • Crovie Shoreline
          • Banff Links
          • Macduff Harbour View
          • Gardenstown from the Old Church
      • Landscape Prints >
        • Springtime at Winding Walks, Fochabers
        • Carrbridge
        • Pluscarden Abbey
        • Elgin Cathedral
        • The North Coast 500
        • The Old Bridge, Keith
        • Keith Town Station
        • Craigmin Bridge
        • Duffus Castle
        • Fordyce Castle and Kirk
        • Lochnagar
        • Glenfiddich Distillery
        • Evening Light, Craigellachie
        • The East gate, Lincoln Castle
        • Inheritance
        • Our People
        • Still Is Our Land
        • Durham Mist
        • The Canmore Engine Bridge, Alberta
        • Loch Maree Sunset
        • Loch na Bo
      • Aviation Prints >
        • Patrol's End
        • Homecoming
        • Pride of Moray
        • Jailbreak!
        • Texans over the Menai Strait
        • 51 Squadron 80th Parade and Flypast
        • Sea King Standby
        • Sentry: 30 Years of Service
        • Lancasters at War
        • Pumas' Desert RV
        • The Airborne Technician
        • The Navy Team
        • Team Lossiemouth
        • Pride of Moray Comes Home
        • 100 Years of US Naval Recon
        • Jaguars on the Break at Lossiemouth
        • Shadow Over Lincoln
        • Coming Home
        • P8: Protect, Serve, Defend
        • Lossiemouth Departure
        • Spitfire
        • The Cabs are Here!
        • Top Cover
        • Where She Belongs
        • Buccaneer Home
        • 120 Squadron - The First Hundred Years
        • The Old Guard
        • 51 Squadron Centenary
        • 100 Years of 39 Squadron
        • Special Delivery
        • Sutton Bank, Northbound
    • The Coastline Galleries >
      • Coastlines One >
        • Strathlene Shoreline
        • Primrose Bay Sunset
        • The Old Boathouse at Binsness, Findhorn Bay
        • Lossiemouth Past and Present
        • Ties that Bind
        • Sunrise at Kingston Beach
        • The Bench at Portsoy
        • The Fisherman
        • Drying the Salmon Nets at Macduff
        • Lossiemouth Summer
        • Covesea Lighthouse from the West
        • The Old Harbour Steps, Portsoy
      • Coastlines Two >
        • The Wooden Bridge, Lossiemouth
        • Lossiemouth Harbour
        • Portsoy Harbour
        • Iona Shoreline
        • Brae View, Whitehills
        • On Roseisle Beach
        • Fraserburgh Beach from Tiger Hill
        • At Sandwood Bay
        • The Confidence
        • Findhorn Pier
        • Sunset at West Beach
        • Covesea Lighthouse
      • Coastlines Three >
        • The Hopeman Hutties
        • Two Kings, Cullen
        • Bosta Beach to Ourselves!
        • Race to the Surf at Sandend
        • Through the Arches at Cullen
        • Covesea Lighthouse Walk
        • On Findhorn Beach
        • Hopeman Wedding
        • Our Family's Special Beach
        • Among the Rocks at Covesea
        • A Calm Day at Findhorn
        • A Walk on Cullen Beach
        • Rainbow and Cerigo at their Moorings
        • The Best Time!
        • The High Shore, Macduff
    • The Landscape Galleries >
      • Landscapes One >
        • Edinburgh Castle from the Princes Street Gardens
        • A Walk by the Spey
        • Summer Wedding
        • Dad's House
        • The Falls of Tarnash, Keith
        • Raemore
        • The East gate, Lincoln Castle
        • The Forth Bridge at Sunset
        • The Cow and Calf
        • Eilean Donan Castle
        • The Shores of Loch Maree
        • Evening in Krems
      • Landscapes Two >
        • The Boys at Walla Crag
        • King's College Chapel, Aberdeen
        • The Old Town Square, Prague
        • The Eiffel Tower from Across the Seine
        • The Birch Woods
        • Woodhall Wedding
        • Spanish Villa
        • Harlaxton Manor Wedding
        • Mullagh Tower and Tullamore
        • Elsie's Croft
        • Honeysuckle Cottage
        • King's College Chapel Wedding
      • Landscapes Three >
        • Speymouth View
        • Jane's House
        • The Mormond Hill Stag
        • Climbing Mount Olympus
        • Idyllic Childhood
        • The Spey Viaduct
        • The Old Schoolhouse, Drumnadrochit
        • West Beach View
        • Father and Son
        • Elgin Golf Club
        • June's House
        • Our House and Family
        • Hill House
        • The View from the Garden
        • A Nice Day For It!
        • Memories of 35a
        • Craigellachie Bridge
    • Aviation Gallery >
      • Nimrod MRA4
      • Continuity
      • Another Straspiration....
      • The Red Arrows Perform the Gypo Break
      • First Blood at Elham
      • Allies
      • Falcon Heavy's First Flight
      • Double Trouble
      • 29 July 1988
      • Typhoon Touchdown!
      • Saint's Return
      • Tanker Trail
      • Thunder over the Bay
      • Storm Break
      • Home at Sunset
      • The Escaping Airman
      • Lt McLeod Wins the Victoria Cross
      • The Green Spot
      • Away Just in Time!
      • The Grey Lady
      • The 'Peel Off'
    • The Pets Gallery >
      • Laddie
      • Broxi
      • Chelsea
      • Bramble
      • The 3 Amigos
      • Boris
      • The Boys
      • Izzy
      • Carrie and Flynn
      • Patch
      • It's a Dog's Life
      • Alfie
      • Jura
      • Arnie
      • Barney and Bray
      • Diego
      • Six Beagles!
      • Guess Who's in Charge?
      • Ben Out Walking
      • Dave
      • The Boys
  • New 'Mini' Range
  • Rob's Blog
  • About
  • Framed Prints
  • Buying Our Work
  • What You Get
  • Contact Us
  • Shipping
  • Testimonials

The Northern Lights!

23/3/2014

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Picture
Those who follow me on Facebook or Google+ will know that we recently  had, here in Scotland and much of northern England, a fantastic display of the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis. These shimmering displays are absolutely beautiful, and truly one of nature's wonders. At the time, I had several requests for a painting of the lights but I was engaged in commission work at the time. Well, a couple of weeks later, here they are! When you see them, the lights do not appear altogether, but shimmer constantly, lighting up one part of the sky and then another. You need time-lapse photography to see the kind of images that people think of when they think of the Aurora. Here, I have done the watercolour equivalent! I have tried to convey the movement and 'fizz' of the lights with quick and carefree brushstrokes against a dark, starry sky, to reproduce my impressions of the scene rather than being too literal. Down below, the calm waters of this little loch at the edge of my local woods reflect the colours of the sky serenely. Even though the sky was very dark for our display, I didn't want a dark painting so I have used the lights to illuminate the countryside, especially the distant hill, and silhouette the trees. I have also devoted most of the painting to the sky and the water to produce a bright and colourful picture, despite the darkness of the scene. I love the feeling of tranquillity in the painting, as the Aurora dances its silent dance in the starry sky. This is an eye-catching and evocative painting, which I don't want to take off the board as it keeps drawing me back! I'm proud to add it to my 'Inspirations' Gallery, which is clearly where it belongs!

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The Beauty of the Arctic

15/3/2014

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Picture
In a recent post I mentioned killer whales - well, somewhat belatedly, here they are! This is a scene off the north-west coast of Prins Karls Forland, one of Norway's National Parks located way up in the high Arctic, at the same latitude as the north of Greenland. This is the sort of place, the sort of view, which completely grabs my emotions and stops me in my tracks. Normally I work from life but although I have been to the Arctic, I have never been here. The photograph was taken by a scientist from Norway (he's credited on the page) and, although it did not include the Orca (which I've added as a subject), it was heart-stoppingly beautiful. I knew I just had to paint the island.
I don't start a painting until I have sketched it and thought about it until I can 'see' the finished painting in detail in my head. This one required a great deal of thought, not necessarily because of the difficulty or detail of the subjects, but because my love for the cold and remote places on this beautiful planet required that the overall picture convey every emotion I feel for the place. I needed the picture to say 'purity' in every way, to present the clarity of the air and the crystalline beauty of the water. The colours had to be pure, so I have avoided too much overlapping of washes, especially in the sky which is untainted, crystal blue with pure white clouds. The snow sparkles in the low sunlight and the Orca splash pure white spray. In the meantime, the dark water in the foreground suggests the depths below. I hope I've succeeded in my aims: looking at the painting now, I think so. I hope you do too!

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Gouache!

6/3/2014

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Picture
I've been a bit quiet lately, and I thought I'd explain why. First off, my wife has been poorly with a back problem, and that has meant I've had to do a little bit extra around the place to look after her. Poor girl, she's been in lots of pain. I'm very glad to report she's getting better now after seeing an osteopath. It's actually been nice having her around all the time, I just wish it could have been under nicer circumstances! Our new puppy, Zena, is also growing up nicely and demanding lots of attention and time! But the main reason I've been quiet is that I've been busy with commission work, and I'm afraid that I can't publish any of it! However, I'm now almost at the end of that and I'm looking forward to getting back to doing my own work again. Don't get me wrong, some of the commission work involved techniques I haven't used before, and they worked out really well. One of those techniques was the use of gouache, a kind of opaque version of watercolour. One of the key beauties of watercolour is that, by and large, it's transparent. I love building up colours with washes of different colour. For example, if you mix red and blue paint in the palette, you'll get purple, yes? But put a transparent wash of red on the paper, let it dry and follow it up with a thin wash of blue and you'll get... a blue with a red glow behind it! It's beautiful! However, one of the problems is that because you can't cover a dark colour with light, you always have to work from light to dark in a watercolour. It's OK - this is something you get used to, and I often find myself looking at a scene and working out what colours I'd use, and in what order. What's cool about using gouache is that it allows you to add highlights over dark. You can also mix it with watercolour to make different colours - so for all you watercolourists out there who fancy a go with gouache, if you have a full range of watercolours, all you need is white! 
Mostly, in watercolour, if you want white in your painting, you have to save it, which means painting around it with every wash. You can use masking fluid but that's difficult to apply accurately - it tends to look 'blobby'. There's no substitute for saving whites, but I've found over the last few weeks that in some circumstances, white gouache can add a beautiful sparkle. I wish I could show you the sort of results I mean, but I can't. Maybe I'll use some gouache in my work for open sale in the next few weeks and you'll see then!
In the meantime, it's back to my own work tomorrow - Killer Whales, anyone?

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    Author

    A professional artist living and working in the beautiful north of Scotland. My work is realistic and quite traditional, though strongly interpretational in nature. My inspiration is the beauty of Nature, and the wonderful colours and moods she shows everywhere.

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  • Home
    • Available Work >
      • A Walk on West Beach, Lossiemouth
      • Springtime at Winding Walks, Fochabers
      • Loch na Bo
      • Kingston Beach
    • Our Prints >
      • Coastline Prints >
        • Nairn to Findhorn >
          • On Findhorn Beach
          • Findhorn Shoreline
          • Nairn Harbour Sunset
          • Sunset at Findhorn Bay
          • Evening Calm at Findhorn
          • Findhorn Sunset
          • Looking West from Nairn Beach
          • Nairn Harbour from Central Beach
          • Evening in Findhorn
          • A Walk on Roseisle Beach
        • Burghead to Hopeman >
          • Burghead from the Beach
          • Hopeman West Beach
          • Burghead from Hopeman Beach
          • On Cummingston Beach
          • The Beach Huts at Hopeman
          • Hopeman Harbour Reflections
          • Hopeman Harbour and Beaches
          • Sunshine at Cove Bay, Hopeman
          • Burghead Harbour from the Sea Wall
          • Fishing Boats in the Inner Harbour, Burghead
          • Hopeman Harbour from the Headland
          • Ketches Unloading at Hopeman
          • Sunsrise Over Burghead
          • Cummingston Sunset
          • Low Tide at Hopeman
        • Lossiemouth >
          • Two Bridges at Lossiemouth
          • A Walk on West Beach, Lossiemouth
          • Lossiemouth's Old Bridge Sunset
          • Lossiemouth Memories
          • Old Friends
          • Lossiemouth's Old Bridge
          • Fishing Boats at Lossie
          • Covesea Lighthouse View
          • Sunset Over Lossiemouth
          • Setting Out from Lossiemouth
          • Sunrise Just for Us at Lossiemouth
          • A Walk on Lossiemouth Beach
          • Covesea Lighthouse Sunset
          • Covesea Lighthouse from the Beach
          • The Old Bridge, Lossiemouth
          • Lossie Beach to Ourselves!
        • Kingston to Portessie >
          • Sunset on the River Spey
          • Kingston Beach
          • Setting Out from Buckie
          • Memories of Portgordon
          • Over the Yardie at Buckie
          • The Rooftops of Portessie
          • The Spey Viaduct from the River
          • Strathlene Caravans
          • A Walk at Strathlene
          • Buckpool Shoreline
        • Findochty to Cullen >
          • Through Cullen Viaduct
          • The Two Kings at Cullen
          • Cullen Harbour View
          • Findochty Harbour
          • Over the Rooftops of Cullen
          • The Ruins of Findlater Castle
          • Findochty Shoreline
          • Cullen Auld Kirk
          • Portknockie Harbour View
          • Sunrise at Bow Fiddle Rock
          • The Harbour at Portknockie
          • Seatown from Castle Hill, Cullen
          • Cullen's Rocky Shoreline
          • Morning Light Above Cullen
        • Fordyce and Portsoy >
          • Portsoy View
          • Summer in Portsoy
          • Sandend Harbour from the Brae
          • Tom's Jetty, Portsoy
          • Portsoy Caravans from the Brae
          • Portsoy Memories
          • Portsoy's New Harbour View
          • Sunshine at Portsoy
          • Summer at Portsoy (Greyscale)
          • Fordyce Castle and Kirk
          • A Walk at Sandend
          • The Rocks at Whitehills
        • Banff to Pennan >
          • Banff Harbour Sunshine
          • Crovie Shoreline
          • Banff Links
          • Macduff Harbour View
          • Gardenstown from the Old Church
      • Landscape Prints >
        • Springtime at Winding Walks, Fochabers
        • Carrbridge
        • Pluscarden Abbey
        • Elgin Cathedral
        • The North Coast 500
        • The Old Bridge, Keith
        • Keith Town Station
        • Craigmin Bridge
        • Duffus Castle
        • Fordyce Castle and Kirk
        • Lochnagar
        • Glenfiddich Distillery
        • Evening Light, Craigellachie
        • The East gate, Lincoln Castle
        • Inheritance
        • Our People
        • Still Is Our Land
        • Durham Mist
        • The Canmore Engine Bridge, Alberta
        • Loch Maree Sunset
        • Loch na Bo
      • Aviation Prints >
        • Patrol's End
        • Homecoming
        • Pride of Moray
        • Jailbreak!
        • Texans over the Menai Strait
        • 51 Squadron 80th Parade and Flypast
        • Sea King Standby
        • Sentry: 30 Years of Service
        • Lancasters at War
        • Pumas' Desert RV
        • The Airborne Technician
        • The Navy Team
        • Team Lossiemouth
        • Pride of Moray Comes Home
        • 100 Years of US Naval Recon
        • Jaguars on the Break at Lossiemouth
        • Shadow Over Lincoln
        • Coming Home
        • P8: Protect, Serve, Defend
        • Lossiemouth Departure
        • Spitfire
        • The Cabs are Here!
        • Top Cover
        • Where She Belongs
        • Buccaneer Home
        • 120 Squadron - The First Hundred Years
        • The Old Guard
        • 51 Squadron Centenary
        • 100 Years of 39 Squadron
        • Special Delivery
        • Sutton Bank, Northbound
    • The Coastline Galleries >
      • Coastlines One >
        • Strathlene Shoreline
        • Primrose Bay Sunset
        • The Old Boathouse at Binsness, Findhorn Bay
        • Lossiemouth Past and Present
        • Ties that Bind
        • Sunrise at Kingston Beach
        • The Bench at Portsoy
        • The Fisherman
        • Drying the Salmon Nets at Macduff
        • Lossiemouth Summer
        • Covesea Lighthouse from the West
        • The Old Harbour Steps, Portsoy
      • Coastlines Two >
        • The Wooden Bridge, Lossiemouth
        • Lossiemouth Harbour
        • Portsoy Harbour
        • Iona Shoreline
        • Brae View, Whitehills
        • On Roseisle Beach
        • Fraserburgh Beach from Tiger Hill
        • At Sandwood Bay
        • The Confidence
        • Findhorn Pier
        • Sunset at West Beach
        • Covesea Lighthouse
      • Coastlines Three >
        • The Hopeman Hutties
        • Two Kings, Cullen
        • Bosta Beach to Ourselves!
        • Race to the Surf at Sandend
        • Through the Arches at Cullen
        • Covesea Lighthouse Walk
        • On Findhorn Beach
        • Hopeman Wedding
        • Our Family's Special Beach
        • Among the Rocks at Covesea
        • A Calm Day at Findhorn
        • A Walk on Cullen Beach
        • Rainbow and Cerigo at their Moorings
        • The Best Time!
        • The High Shore, Macduff
    • The Landscape Galleries >
      • Landscapes One >
        • Edinburgh Castle from the Princes Street Gardens
        • A Walk by the Spey
        • Summer Wedding
        • Dad's House
        • The Falls of Tarnash, Keith
        • Raemore
        • The East gate, Lincoln Castle
        • The Forth Bridge at Sunset
        • The Cow and Calf
        • Eilean Donan Castle
        • The Shores of Loch Maree
        • Evening in Krems
      • Landscapes Two >
        • The Boys at Walla Crag
        • King's College Chapel, Aberdeen
        • The Old Town Square, Prague
        • The Eiffel Tower from Across the Seine
        • The Birch Woods
        • Woodhall Wedding
        • Spanish Villa
        • Harlaxton Manor Wedding
        • Mullagh Tower and Tullamore
        • Elsie's Croft
        • Honeysuckle Cottage
        • King's College Chapel Wedding
      • Landscapes Three >
        • Speymouth View
        • Jane's House
        • The Mormond Hill Stag
        • Climbing Mount Olympus
        • Idyllic Childhood
        • The Spey Viaduct
        • The Old Schoolhouse, Drumnadrochit
        • West Beach View
        • Father and Son
        • Elgin Golf Club
        • June's House
        • Our House and Family
        • Hill House
        • The View from the Garden
        • A Nice Day For It!
        • Memories of 35a
        • Craigellachie Bridge
    • Aviation Gallery >
      • Nimrod MRA4
      • Continuity
      • Another Straspiration....
      • The Red Arrows Perform the Gypo Break
      • First Blood at Elham
      • Allies
      • Falcon Heavy's First Flight
      • Double Trouble
      • 29 July 1988
      • Typhoon Touchdown!
      • Saint's Return
      • Tanker Trail
      • Thunder over the Bay
      • Storm Break
      • Home at Sunset
      • The Escaping Airman
      • Lt McLeod Wins the Victoria Cross
      • The Green Spot
      • Away Just in Time!
      • The Grey Lady
      • The 'Peel Off'
    • The Pets Gallery >
      • Laddie
      • Broxi
      • Chelsea
      • Bramble
      • The 3 Amigos
      • Boris
      • The Boys
      • Izzy
      • Carrie and Flynn
      • Patch
      • It's a Dog's Life
      • Alfie
      • Jura
      • Arnie
      • Barney and Bray
      • Diego
      • Six Beagles!
      • Guess Who's in Charge?
      • Ben Out Walking
      • Dave
      • The Boys
  • New 'Mini' Range
  • Rob's Blog
  • About
  • Framed Prints
  • Buying Our Work
  • What You Get
  • Contact Us
  • Shipping
  • Testimonials