Discover the Art of Scotland

About Gilbert Summers Art

Yes. A picture is probably worth a thousand words. And I used to be a copywriter

Trust me, you really don’t need to know how I spent my career writing for a living then decided to go back to my first love. (That was painting. What did you think I meant?) Maybe I got bored writing and - when it came to writing for our own national tourism agency (VisitScotland) - being paid to be relentlessly positive about how lovely and peaceful Edinburgh is during the Edinburgh Festival. There are only so many scandalous mistruths you can commit to print in your freelance days.

Anyway, with this background of writing about Scotland I spent decades travelling around my home nation, with its ever-changing light and landscapes. That was a privilege as well as an inspiration. Now it's time to play catch-up.

Avoiding vacuous 'art-speak'

Here's the offer. I won't bang on about elements and fusion and emotion and affinities and connections and all these other pretentious arty words. Likewise, in the print descriptions, I won't weasel-dance you with vacuous ‘art-speak’. You know - ‘the interrogation of creative silences’, ‘the mapping of a spiritual hinterland’ - all the stir-crazy meaningless verbiage that sometimes accompany artistic descriptions.

Nope. I put marks on paper and sometimes they make nice pictures. That's all. Hope you enjoy them!

How I painted the originals

I use gouache, acrylic gouache, acrylic and sometimes watercolour and water soluble pencils (though not all at once). A penknife, an old tooth-brush and a modified (to be honest, snapped-off) crochet hook are other useful accessories.

Explore unique artworks that reflect Scotland's stunning landscapes, perfect for gifts or enhancing your home decor with a touch of nature. Wait, that sounds a bit, uhmm, gushy. Did I write that last sentence? Surely not. I bet AI snuck in there. I'll see it doesn't happen again...

Above (or right on desktop): On Iona, with Cathedral distant.

Below: A North Uist panorama. Looks great at 50 cm wide (real print size). Not so much when previewed on your mobile though! (But, trust me, it sells...) And, yes, this is a bit wacky but you can even buy it as a mug if you take a look at this Etsy shop.

(Above) The blue blue Moray Firth. To be honest, this is my favourite. This is where my heart lives. (Said he, a trifle sentimentally...)

Above: A fine November day at Smirisary, a former crofting township south of Arisaig in the West Highlands.

My super web hosting from Hostinger (I love ‘em) is so quick and easy it allows me more time for other pursuits, such as teaching a soft-toy goldfinch to fly from the wrist.