Tourist Woes

Arbroath Abbey Ruins, Arbroath

Aye, September in Scotland was a decidedly FAST-paced trip.  Purposely intended.  So much yet to see and experience...the 'J. Clizer Scottish Experience Bucket List' shows no signs of decreasing. Conversely, it's getting longer, so on and off the planes, through security and border checks, off to the bus, onto the train, and a lovely couple hours riding to Inverness. Oddly, it was uncommon clear weather...on the Amsterdam-Aberdeen plane I'd easily picked out favourite spots & familiar landmarks while flying north up the coast from below Montrose.

Waiting for the bus across the Moray Firth north to Culbokie, I happened on a surprisingly common and sometimes touchy occurrence in Scotland:  an outlander trying to communicate with a local, NEITHER of whom spoke intelligible English!  The (rather pushy) Japanese tourist wanted to get to the Loch Ness tour boat on time, and the 50-something bus driver, whose first language was decidedly Gaelic, was at wit's end to get the tourist to understand there was no boat today; high winds had cancelled the scheduled sailing, and there was NO way the (effing) bus would be stopping at the desired quayside landing. Voices became sharp as hands waved, neck muscles bulged, and, recognizing a couple explicit Highland epithets, I stepped in and was able to clarify things. The bus driver, having discovered an ally, shared several such incidents of late and his opinion of foreigners (myself excluded, of course), as his blood pressure returned to normal. The irritated tourist stalked off into the driving rain muttering....I suppose about the inconvenience of gale force winds and stubborn Scotsmen.   Hilarious. All in a day...! 

Travelling Tips....

Hardware Store, Callander

What to do when time is limited on a Scotland or UK trip?  Jog, don't walk. Pretend you're training for (in my case) the senior division of a marathon back home.  Crisscross the landscape from event to destination and back again, and nap...on the train (darn, hate to miss even a BIT of scenery!)....on a park bench in the lovely autumn air with knapsack propping you at side, book stood up lap, & hat pulled low, so passers-by can't tell if you're snoozing or furthering your education.  And lastly, get food to go:  delicious scones with fruit (forego the butter....there's already enuf in them to sink a battleship); lovely hot cups of strong coffee & tea to warm the hands; the best bacon roll in the area from personal recommendations of locals...Scottish soul food!!

Hands Up for Trad Awards!

We just finished voting in the US....now it's time to vote in Scotland!  The MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2012 is on. The aim of these awards is to highlight Scotland's wonderful traditional music in all it's forms, and to create a high-profile opportunity to bring the music and music industry to media and public attention.  You can easily vote for your favourite artist, group, composer & etc. at the following link:

 http://www.handsupfortrad.co.uk/tradmusicawards/. 

Degrees of Change

   Overheard at breakfast this am:  "It's 42 and 36 degrees in Paris today....London, 39 and 32....Copenhagen, 30 and 23."  That was my 90 year old mother giving the weather report.  Not here in Idaho....not from her home county in eastern South Dakota, but in  European cities.  It's always been so in this household.  And the auld wrinklies cannot comprehend why my innards keep pushing me to get out and explore this big wonderful world??!!

    Exploring being on hold however, preparations for next weekend's annual CDA Art Association's Artist Showcase in the Plaza Shops, downtown Coeurd'Alene are underway.  Both mom and I will be exhibiting paintings, and I will have a good selection of prints and cards available.  I will be sharing some of my favourite Scottish tunes on fiddle Friday night, 5-7ish, and Saturday 12-2pm with CDA's newest Scots music group, Nine Pint Coggies.  Amazingly, we've got three gigs on Saturday.....and I'm heading to an evening of ballroom dancing in Moscow thereafter.....my cup runneth over with culture!!  Hope to see all you locals at the Shops sometime during the weekend - it's an excellent community oriented event, with lots of interesting artists to chat with and observe at their craft, and a wide variety of good work to view, contemplate and purchase.  Hours are 10-8 Friday, 10-6 Saturday and 10-5 Sunday. 

 

Painting Between the Lines

  Everpresent in our lives, lines do many things, both for and against us....fill in space when drawn side by side, mark out boundaries and edges, lead our eyes around the page where we want them to go.  I am dealing heavily with boundary lines these days, as I make decisions daily:  how long should I in good conscience leave the parents on their own today;  how much time do I have to do ____ before I'm needed at the house; how much energy do I have left for my own pursuits today?  Makes one value most minutes of the day, and be mindful how they're used.  The increased discipline is making it possible to slip a bit of drawing and painting in each week, so the end result is favorable!

"Gan 'Aim" oil on antique Scottish linen - $625 framed, $400 unfr

   "Gan 'Aim" is a special work to me.  Plockton Harbour on Scotland's NW coast is the place, visited in blustery October when the wind whips up 'dirty' storms instantaneously, and just as quickly everything drops to silence and calm.  A yachting and artist mecca in the high season, it's lovely and peaceful this time of year, with all but the hardy having 'gan aim,' and the fresh seafood in the local eateries is, well, absolutely the best!!

  This painting is done on antique Scottish linen sheeting purchased in Cromarty from a local Ross-shire estate, and gifted me by a fellow artist.  Amazingly tough is linen.  And an inspiration to feel the texture, observe the flaws and wonder at it's substance after decades of use.  A privilege indeed to bring shape and form of this beauty spot in Scotland to life as I painted on it.  Thank you, Ian!

Revisiting Drawing

   With things becoming just a wee bit more routine the past couple months, I've been gradually working in a bit of !!!!TIME TO PAINT!!!!   What a concept, eh?  Speaking for myself, a good portion of life has been spent learning to discern what I really wanted in life, and now that knowledge has surfaced, I really appreciate the importance of a Moleskine, Filofax, or some other such planner.  Just because they usually have black covers doesn't mean they're about serious things!  Mine's full of jottings, goals, and highlighted notations of blocks of time that can be set aside for the 'good stuff.'

                                              

Although painterly creativity essentially screeched to a standstill the past year (I'm STILL attempting to get salvaged supplies and materials unpacked and organized!), a wonderful opportunity to pursue increased knowledge and skill in drawing materialized.  It's now been a year of early Monday mornings, finding myself waking up to premier wildlife artist Joe Kronenberg's teachings in the style of the 19th Century French Realists and enjoying a delicious cup of coffee in the studio of fellow artists Craig and Rose Tedmon.  Can't speak highly enough of all three of them!  Think I've only managed to fully complete one assignment during the year, but the information, practice, and camaradarie with them and fellow-students are priceless.  Drawing is DEFINITIVELY the foundation for good art.

Grounded

  A multi-faceted term is the word 'grounded'.  Describes this painter's current situation to a t.  The pondhopping bohemian lifestyle I thrive on screeched to a temporary halt late in 2010 due to elder parents' needs.  Felt like I was back in school, being punished and grounded for something I hadn't done. 
 

 And the 'impossible dream' I'd held for decades to have a place of my own to create and live has materialized.  My studio was flooded in July of last year, resulting in four months of tent camping in a friend's yard in Coeur d'Alene.  Got a bit nippy in Oct.!!   Desperation for winter housing led to talks with the parents, and an agreement was reached to renovate the 18'x24' barn on the property for a studio/living space. 
 

 
Work began 1 Oct, and I moved in mid-Nov.  Work has been done on weekends and evenings, and there's still a good deal to go, but even in it's unfinished state, it gives me a comforting sense of being 'home.!  Yet another form of grounding it is.....knowing there's somewhere I can return to from wherever I've been, and finally be at HOME.  Aye, I'd prefer it was near a beach somewhere in the Western Islands, but for now I'll be quite content for the wee pasture and lovely views here while I'm painting Scotland on my canvases!

Growing Pains

I can't in all honesty tell anyone I LIKE the creative process of building a presence in the online world - be it presenting my work personally on this time-sucking entity called the web and all it's 'necessary' chores of seemingly endless writing, editing, revamping, etc.  There, I'm done wingeing for today - check back tomorrow for more descriptive comments!!  All I did was hit a simple button to check out the new templates page in Blogger, and 2 1/2 hours later, have finally got the blog back to looking something near what I will allow others to view again - phew!  At one point, it appeared that the whole blog had vanished into the ether....maybe I should have gotten the hint and stopped there.....??

New Venues
  I appreciate the owners of two coffeehouses 5,000 miles apart who are now hosting my work:

• Rose and Sihead of newly opened Cafe Savini in the quaint Ross-shire market town of Dingwall in Scotland (I saw a great review on Trip Advisor - can't wait to visit!)

• Amy of Twisp Cafe & Coffeehouse in Liberty Lake near Spokane (the service and food are excellent!

Enjoying the ambiance in a good coffee shop or tea room has got to be in the top ten of favourite activities on my list, and even MORE fun is hearing comments on my work as patrons express their impressions and reactions.....always a lift to hear I've made someone's day just a little bit brighter, or inspired some thought or action through the paintings.

Time Marches On.......

Have you heard of the wonderful 'Painting A Day' idea, where one creates and completes a small painting, on as regular a basis as possible?  Very beneficial for honing skills and focus, besides a fun
concept!  This year, it feels as though I'm on the 'Painting A Quarter' program, due to family focus....
ah well....at least everything's there ready and waiting when time allows, and I refuse to get frustrated!!
An excellent local Idaho 'Painter A Day' is Mary Maxam, and her website and blog are well worth a visit.

Coming in April: 
    
   -  Friday, 1 April and Saturday 2 April I will be performing traditional Scottish tunes with drummer Todd
      Neel and fiddler Lorna Woelfel at Unity Church's Mardi Gras Variety Show, 7pm both nights. 

   -  Friday, 8 April, noon-7:30pm and Saturday 9 April 10am - 7pm.....I will be exhibiting current paintings
      (and talking about Scotland with anyone interested!!), along with cards and prints in the 11th Annual  Artist Showcase by the Coeur d'Alene Art Association.  We will be at the CDA Resort Plaza Shops, 2nd and Sherman downtown.  Forty two artists are participating, and it's always a lovely event, and a great opportunity to meet interesting, creative people, who might happen to be your neighbour!  I will be demonstrating part of the day on Saturday.

  -  22 April - 31 May.....I will be on holiday in Scotland - gathering inspiration, and hopefully dipping into some of the inviting tubes of paint that are sitting around the studio saying 'squeeze me!'.....

Perthshire Amber & More - Jottings on the Oct/Nov 2010 Trip

   Have been meaning to transcribe the pages of Moleskine neolithic chicken-scratch laid down on my latest sojourn in Scotland into something readable for a later date, so why not here - good things are meant to be shared, eh?

26th Oct - Fly out - Jess & I are chatting so intently we miss the airport turnoff.....typical....luggage scanning guy requests a concert with my 'piano'....in a fiddle case??...hmm, maybe it was just early in the morning!  The checked baggage goes FREEEE....the overseas flight:  2 seats to self - heaven in flight....Robin Hood, good food, skimpy snacks....just barely caught them accidentally routing me to VENICE!!  Sounds good, would love to go, but not THIS trip!

Wooden Shoes, Amsterdam

27th - Found museum in Schiphol....there's been renovation at the airport, & things are a bit confusing after a long flight.  Featured paintings are of cows in the 15th & 16th centuries this time...lovely, inspiring, freeing, as I stand admiring works by people who didn't have so many 'rules' to follow in their art.  An incredible barnyard scene with a gigantic rooster....the detail is unbelievable.  All the funny people, going so many places in this travel hub of northern Europe.  So many languages!  A new feature of the airport this time:  Dutch armed forces in full garb & weaponry standing on alert.  Disturbing.  Young Italian on the shuttle to Aberdeen.  Beautiful speech. I said so & he immediately shut up!  Customs thankfully uneventful, & cases all intact.   Clear weather & stunning views of the sea, the coastline, Aberdeen & surrounds as plane arrived.  Catching proper bus to Dyce was easy, altho it did take the long way 'round thru Tullos, but who cares....I'm BACK!  Jokes with the driver, catching up on local news & info.  Long wait for the train at Dyce.  Och ay, the wind off the sea.  Heard a bit of life & times of newly married guy fae Inverness, returning home from work on African island.  Seatmate on train pregnant masseuse going to Elgin for the weekend.  Woman from down near Feschie Bridge into archeology & other things I didn't want to inquire about.  Came from Shetland. Got scolded for mucking about with train ticket, (less changes the way I went), & conductor making good-natured comments about travelling nutters....a real tea from the heavily-laden trolley enroute! 

Changing at Inverness, waited in line with lovely elderly Englishwoman, asking if I was classical violinist in travelling theatre group - wishful thinking!  Lives on Skye.  Fascinating face.  Such enthusiasm for life and music & culture.  Long black wool coat, glinting white hair, thick specs....backbone of steel....inspiring....  Gorgeous ride to Pitlochry, altho staying awake requires concentration.  Pitlochry appears a lovely little burgh at first glance - finding the B&B is easy, but trailing 2 big cases on cobbled streets is a bit of a challenge - can't stick the rattling!

Pitlochry

28th - Aye, it's really true....am waking up back in Scotland!!  A guest in a B&B rather than working in one....brilliant.  Full cooked breakfast & then some, in lovely, decorated dining room of old hoos. Runny egg, sausage, bacon, tomato, mushrooms, oatcakes!  Ought to last most of the day!!  Met photographer L....chat & arrangements for the day:  walk in village, shop for supplies at the Co-Op - blustery autumn weather.  Guest at the B&B has been returning here for 35 years - is nowon his 3rd proprietor.  Buttonboss Lodge owned by Colin & Marlene MacKay....the best of hosts.  Colin's a retired golf pro, from Portmahommach (sp?), Marlene's Dutch.  Possibly a mum of one does housekeeping, a couple of 'local' foreign girls help out.  Lovely people, all.  Very clean.  Discussion over scarcity of lemons.  The yin-yang of cup half-empty, but positive about it.  Or the other way 'round?

Tummel Brig towards Pitlochry

I ride w/L to local sights - Faskally Wood (weird light show & music in evenings)..we did it in daytime, & lovely wood it is, despite the electronics setup for the techno show.  Queen's View is a stunner - especially on this clear autumn day.  Busy with visitors - white roofs of caravans mar the lovely view a wee bit, inspiring discussion with fellow onlookers! Hilarious chat with F&K, gardener & teacher fae Paisley - banter continues in the tearoom - fruitcake slice & cappu made w/instant coffee - now REALLY?!  Bilgewater in a cup.  On up an unmarked track in general direction of Killicrankie - Mexican standoff in Perthshire hills:  vehicles approaching both front AND back on narrow farm track.  Lots of grins & a bit of maneuvering, & we're out of that scrape!

near Killicrankie

On to Killicrankie, famous for a Brit soldier's having lept the 18' span of river to escape pursuing Jacobites.  Wee active mousie collecting goodies in autumn leaves at carpark - Scottish wildlife!  Lovely views of river & rail bridge.  Colours of the hill foliage-it's perfectly clear where older tartans and weavings took their inspiration from.  Back to Pitlochry & explore a bit thru the toon - more blether with Queen's View people - it's Samhain (Halloween) weekend, & the town's really gone all out - street musicians, a 5' miming mouse, clowns - quite the production. Late evening chat w/fellow guests....

29th - Monstrous breakfast again - stiff eggs today (yes!), 3 pcs bacon, tomato, muesli.  Full house, lots of interesting chat.  Off to Dunkeld by bus, not a straight shot....change & wait at Ballaluig, famous for being the best lorry stop in UK (meaning best diner food).  Interesting chat w/lovely dried-apple-faced woman w/brown hat made in Shetland (design of knitting reminiscent of celtic knotwork). Hungarian, fascinating history - da was in Brit embassy. 

Queen's View

Walked about Dunkeld - trees are lovely - visitors centre - discover festival tickets back in Pitlochry.- staff from NZ very helpful.  Directions to Arts Centre on foot, & Birnam oak - gorgeous walk along Tay, desipite rain - enormous oaks & sycamores - the oak immortalized in Macbeth - convoluted, incredible branches, the size...& textures....halloweeny, for sure!  Birnam Arts Centre for good coffee & fruit salad, quite a busy place. Lovely facility - Willie Nelson on sound system - country/bluegrass pretty popular....  Retrieve ticket from Birnam CD's courteous proprietor, who later turns out to be Martin Hadden, bassist of Silly Wizard.  Return walk heavy rain. Poured in Dunkeld.  Wee castle-like edifice in car park to draw whilst sheltering... back to Pitlochry & lovely walk to theatre, pick up bulk of tickets from gracefully patient Vaire...the pfaffing aboot is now completed!  Amazing to feel energetic & no jet lag....near tears today, thinking on privilege of once again being here....seeing a heron is deemed good luck in our family - a large prehistoric-looking specimen balances atop the burnside fence passed en route to the Theatre....fearless.....clearly it's home territory.  Now I'm looking forward to the festival even more!

the Birnam Oak

30th - Twa burly pipers from a Dublin pipe band provided a bit of extra ambiance for those of us who really didn't need sleep....aarrgghh.  I don't begrudge their enthusiasm - a competition's on at Blair Atholl -this weekend - must've been pretty cool.  Tough to return to sleep what with the time change, tho.  Am finding it quite entertaining attempting to adjust to new phone, time difference & daylight savings all at once.  Have yet to find adjustment for time difference - all readings involve subtracting 9 hrs.... I think...!  Breakfast a full house again.  Couple w/B&B in East Linton left details.  A 2nd trip to the Cooperative for vittles, & canned food contributions for concerts.  Checker required a second take - covered with soot & fake blood on head, face, & white lab coat....hilarious.....local contest for shops in Halloween decor brought out some characters!

   Barber shop all decked out as Sweeney Todd!

My 1st day of festival - opening concert last nite had been sold out weeks ago, so missed that.  Today, a workshop in performance with entertaining entertainer Ewan Sutherland....only 2 of us attended, & a couple locals dropped in...lots of good info & humour...an experience in itself!  Talk by local character Lawrence Oliphant & associates on weaponry & dress in Scotland in earlier times, including how to fold & put on a full kilt for both men & women... interesting concept, lying down to get dressed!

31st - Open mike @ Theatre...handbell ringers fae Dunkeld....tone of the bells was beautiful...from the states - less expensive than british-made.  Amazing unison performance, ethereal sounds.  Full audience.  Bodhran workshop w/Mark Maguire of Deaf Shepherd - the intensity & sincerity of his passion for the instrument & sharing with us....kept wanting to tell us more...we practiced on serving trays w/sticks & brushes - lots of us.  Had the rhythm going ok, but felt like I was trying to keep time with a snake!  Non-stop open mike all afternoon - a great experience!  Evening concert:  Crooked Still - pretty Alison Kraus-y but very good.  Banjo gumbi.  Guy next to me didn't particularly care for the singing-along with Dougie - plugged his ear on my side...me or the singer behind us that he didn't like?!  Wee samples of Dougie's whiskey on offer - nice touch.  A good deal of old material tonite - Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Dillon - great stuff, w/full complement of backup.  A REAL treat.

1 Nov - All Saints Day


Could the breakfasts get any better?? Colin may be at home on a golf course, but aye, he knows his stuff in the kitchen too! Wonder what happens if a near-veggie eats bacon & eggs 12 days running?! (hopefully nothing) Big bus full of Dougie nuts loaded at Theatre for a tuneful tour of Perthshire...Ewan & Dougie play a wee tune to start off...rather dreich day, but interesting chat - my seatmate is Ian fae Birmingham, singer/guitarist. We stop at Laurence Oliphant's holdings, which include a shut-up castle on the grounds and several beautiful heavy horses on the hillside above, probably Clydes. The grounds of the steading is immaculate & someone is preparing to ride on a tall, stately black with a long tail. Oh, to break off from the group & explore! Lawrence's ancestor Lady Nairn wrote loads of music & tunes - had to disguise herself to her publisher as work wasn't accepted from females....Boden of Boden, maybe?...Charley is Me Darlin', Wha'd Be King But Charley...very common Jacobite tunes...many are credited to other authors - the usual. Quite a dramatic presentation & presence at the Theatre on the weekend, which continues here - speaking on the bus, answering questions, sharing anecdotes - my thanks for the sharing in his efforts to preserve Scottish culture was me with "We don't reenact the Scottish way of life - we live it." Straight from himself. Earlier on, his children took issue with his choice of dress & hairstyle, & wouldn't be seen with him in public.....ha!


The pastoral beauty of this rich, agri-focused area....great fields of carrots, blackberries, a variety of crops. Carrots are held in the ground, covered thickly to prevent freezing, & pulled all winter at Tesco's requirements. Ancient beech hedge going down to the river. Approaching town of Blairgowrie, built along River Ericht - now the big buildings where all the people go of a Sunday are St. Tesco's, St. Home Base....Ewan's perceptive banter is brilliant! Lunch stop is at a park near the river - rather chill & windy, making the hot tea & delicious sandwiches (venison & red jelly on a beautiful bun for me - low fat, no less!) even more appealing! There were salmon sandwiches also, odd crisps, a lovely tart apple, & a big dense sinker of a sweet made with pineapple....enough for a couple meals!!

Return trip thru the Sma' Glen....quite barren & wild area, steep hillsides....saw not 1 but 5 kites, most likely parents & young....amazing. Talk about the clearances....SAD SAD SAD. Unthinkable persecution. Several big isolated hotels now available for purchase....on down towards Aberfeldy on interesting, windy road thru farmland....Aberdeen singer sharing hilarious tune about bus driving....wild driving on wild roads in the dark & wet....meeting big white schoolbuses on curves...fellow passengers being concerned about safety...driver must have nerves of steel...conversely, maybe all nerves have been removed....on into Theatre after safe return to listen to Chloe Hall Trio - wonderful, upbeat stuff w/great takes on life. Aussies. Tall, skinny.

Ontae another bus to Blair Atholl for Fred Morrison Trio evening concert....have visited the castle previously to view antiques exhibition....decidedly more dramatic at nite - inside & out. The performance was in great hall - incredibly spooky atmosphere with all the wall decor.....armour linings & helmets & scads of deer skulls, antlers still intact, making patterns & shadows in the light...very SUPERnatural (pun).... The music is outstanding...pipes, guitar, bodhran....ethereal at times.....the effect of the surroundings & music gets into the very soul. Morrison is from S. Uist....hilarious, good-natured character, soft speech & dry sense of humour. Wandered a bit at intermission - huge slabs of larch on tearoom walls, also ancient needlework....in main hall, Niel Gow & a couple dukes of Atholl overseeing things on their luminous canvases, and a huge Landseer, 'Death of a Stag,' I think - need to look up info on it. Fantastic day it's been!

2 Nov

Another tasty brekky (breakfast) - I'm going to miss this. And a beautiful clear, crisp morning. Off to catch bus to Dunkeld, & stumble upon couple fae New Hamp. Lovely characters! Bus driver recognizes me by now & inquires re: adventures. Had a bit of walk near cathedral, riverside. My sketch of mini-castle is the entrance-way to an estate with walled gardens....later find out it's connected to Blair Atholl. S-T-U-N-N-I-N-G day. Peeked at roofless section of cathedral....HIGH arches - Wolf of Badenoch said buried there...on to the Taybank - formerly Macleans', new ownership, buckets lining floor - could use some TLC on roof & elsewhere.

Master musician Pete Clark is our guide for the Niel Gow walk - generous with information & a passionate speaker about music & conservation....made for a fascinating tour. Walk went across bridge, along the Tay....water ouzels, buzzards....conservation-crazy local made an interesting addition to the company....tallest tree in Britain.....native plants vs. foreign additions.....beautiful forest walk, especially in Autumn. Big falls, large 3-d plaque in Gaelic....viewing of Niel Gow's cottage - Niel Gow's oak....he was retained by the duke for pound5/year. Amazing. Walked to his gigs. Tale about cutting the tree without the duke's permission & talking his way 'round it. Must've been a great laugh at the time. Down to the Birnam Oak - back to the pub, scrummy carrot & tomato soup & bread. The Americans always get fries, cheese & beer...aarrgghh! Loads of Dougie memorabilia, & Pete plays a good bit for us...lovely tunes. Hitch ride back to Pitlochry, wee stop in Scottish Deli before leaving...mmm! Back to B&B for wee toes-up...hike up to Theatre for shuttle bus back to Dunkeld cathedral & tonite's Eamon Coyne/Kris Drever concert along w/Dougie & others - moving performances by all. Cathedral packed....amazing! The acoustics in these structures! Synchronicity daily on this incredible trip: Ann, seated next me, holds ticket # next mine! A couple seated in pew before us overheard us chat, & know my good friends in Auchenblae!! Was brilliant listening to blether around us....Expected to be quite cold, but heaters in alternate rows at our feet made it comfortable....one visitor accidentally melted her anorak's zipper (smell permeated the cathedral) & had to buy a new waterproof souvenir of her trip next day!