North Uist memories

North Uist

Travelling up through the Uists one year, we were struck just how long they are, north-to-south, with white houses dotted below wide horizons, and the interlacing of lochans.

Trying to capture that ambience would have to mean a panoramic format, I decided. And here’s an aside if you get a bit hung up on painting dimensions: usually, I use the standard ‘A’ series with their more regularly rectangular aspect ratio of 1 times the square root of 2. (Eek. Did I really write that? Let’s move on hastily…)

Hmm. Paper has a slightly textured surface too, I notice, which comes up rather well in the print. Assuming you don’t mind, of course?

Anyway, one customer asked me where exactly in North Uist this view was - and it is definitely somewhere - but the exact viewpoint has escaped me, except it was well to the north and not far from the Leberburgh on Harris ferry departure point (actually on the island of Berneray, linked via a causeway)

I’d go back any time - but especially in high summer. This painting was my my memory of that Uist journey.