300x220
Watercolour on paper
Handmade wooden frame
Scottish winter climbing is, as you might expect, the incredible but pretty intense act of climbing in the mountains in winter. It’s an activity of imperfect conditions and discomfort management, which doesn’t sound that appealing. What these paintings hope to capture is the heart stopping moments that you sometimes get in the hills in winter, which makes all the suffering worth it.
Deep in the gullies, high up on the Ben, the sun won’t touch the walls for months during the winter. I know the shadows don’t layer up like paint does, but I like to think that they are somehow thicker and more shadowy than the usual up there.
The Ben Nevis gullies are theatrical and imposing, and No.2 was my first route up this famous mountain.
The climate is changing, and winters are warmer than ever, and I fear the day that we will only be able to say “when we used to climb ice in Scotland...”. These paintings remind me of what we stand to lose, and what a gift we have been given.