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| Highlands Cottage, 12x16 Oil Studio painting based on a plein air sketch I made during my 2016 trip to Scotland. |
This June, I'm joining several other painters in Scotland in a painting retreat. The retreat will be based on the Isle of Skye, but when it ends, Trina and I will wander up to Inverness and beyond, ultimately making our way to the Orkney Islands. Would you like to help me get there? If so, read on!
For me, the trip is more than just about painting. It's about family, too. I learned not too long ago that I have roots in Scotland on both sides of my family. From my father's line, I have the Bains. Hugh Bain was born in 1764 in Inverness, but left Scotland to settle in North Carolina and die there in 1810. From my mother's line, we have the Harcrows—or the Halcros, as they are called in the Orkneys. Magnus Halcro was born in Orphir on the Orkney Islands in 1729. I know a little more about his arrival in America. With his wife, Elizabeth, and son, Hugh, he emigrated to Savannah, Georgia, on the Marlborough, under master George Prissick, in September 1774. He worked some years as an indentured servant for a wealthy landowner before dying in Franklin, Georgia, in 1789.
All this is very interesting to me, but perhaps not to you, my reader. The initial point of the Scotland trip wasn't to research family—I learned all this family history after I'd made plans—but to paint the Scottish landscape. So I'm very excited to be spending two weeks in Scotland, roaming about with a painter's eye.
So here's an opportunity for you: you can both support my trip and get a very nice painting of Scotland! When I return from the trip, I'll start working on a series of 6x8 oil paintings on the Scottish theme. These will be only $200, including frame and shipping to the continental US. First come, first choice on these, but I get to select the subject and scene. Or, if you'd prefer something larger (9x12, 12x16, 12x24 or even bigger), I will do a custom scene, so long as it is of a place I visited on the trip. (I'll be posting my itinerary at a future date.) Let me know, and we can discuss size and subject. Castles, moors, crashing waves or sheep—it can be yours! (You can see one of my paintings from the 2016 Scotland trip above.)
To get one of the 6x8 paintings or a custom size/subject, you must reserve in advance. My goal will be to paint all of these pieces before the end of 2018. For the 6x8s, I will post images of the work on my web site and notify patrons in chronological order. So, for example, if you paid first, you get first pick. For the custom paintings, of course, you will have your very own painting that you commissioned.
Help me get to the Orkney Islands (and back again!) If you'd like to help, below is a PayPal button to reserve one (or more--just change the quantity) of the 6x8 paintings. I'll let you know what number you are on the list! If you'd like a custom painting, contact me here. Thank you so very much! You won't be disappointed and you'll be supporting one of your favorite artists.
Some scenes from my 2016 trip:
