A Tour of the Northwest Highlands and Skye
Shazia Mahmood
Shazia Mahmood New Paintings from a Tour of the Northwest Highlands and Skye During the last year Shazia has toured from Durness to Arisaig, spending a great deal of time on location, sketching and taking photographs of the landscape that inspires her. Her lively en plein air sketches on handmade khadi paper capture the moment using a variety of tools, brushes, sponges and different media. Her sketches are organic and unplanned as chance and random interference are essential elements of the creative process. Using her sketches and vivid memories as a starting point, Shazia works on canvas in her studio. She came to realise that by pouring rather than brushing, new visual elements could be created and that this was the key to a more subtle image quality. Her technique, involving a combination of ink and oil paint, gives to her paintings an evocative, mysterious air that can’t be matched by traditional methods of painting alone. Shazia enjoys working outdoors, invigorated by the wind, sea spray and the tingle in the air. She will perch on the edge of a cliff or some isolated peak, if needed, in order to gain the best viewpoint. She is a dedicated and passionate painter and it is for this reason that her paintings will stand the test of time. The entire exhibition can be viewed on the Castle Gallery’s website: W: www.castlegallery.co.uk T: 01463 729512 E: info@castlegallery.co.uk
Cover: The Cuillins from Ord, oil and mixed media on canvas, 40(h) X 120(w) cm
“Capturing the extraordinary light on the landscape, for me, is my mission as a painter. As inspiration goes, Scotland never fails! I am always stunned and silenced by what I witness in the Highlands. I hope this is what is captured in the paintings.� Shazia Mahmood
The Western Isles from Glasnakille, oil and mixed media on canvas, 40(h) X 120(w) cm
Skye Gaelic Meanings: Torrin - Na Torrain - the little hills.
Portree
Ord - An t-Ă’rd - the hammer shaped hill. Elgol - Ealaghol - According to tradition, its name derives from a battle fought with five ships by Aella, a follower of Vortigern, against the Picts and Scots. Glasnakille - Glas na Cille - the stream or meadow of the church.
Plockton Kyle of Lochalsh The Cuillins Torrin
Loch na Cuilce Elgol
Isleornsay - Eilean Iarmain - Island of Iarma(i)n.
v
The Cuillins - An Cuiltheann - these formidable crags and peaks are supposedly named after CĂş Chulainn, a mythological hero who appears in both Irish and Scottish folklore.
l
Glasnakille
Ord
Isleornsay
The Cuillins from Elgol, oil and mixed media on canvas, 46(h) X 60(w) cm
Storm Passing Elgol, oil and mixed media on canvas, 40(h) X 80(w) cm
Eilean Iarmain, Sunrise, oil and mixed media on canvas, 40(h) X 80(w) cm
Loch na Cuilce, oil and mixed media on canvas, 46(h) X 61(w) cm
Northwest Highlands Balnakeil v l Durness & Sango Bay Oldshoremore
Gaelic Meanings: Balnakeil - Baile na Cille - settlement of the church. Oldshoremore - Àisir Mòr - Norse-Gaelic hybrid meaning ‘big path or passage’. Lochinver - Loch an Inbhir - the loch of the river mouth.
Assynt
Lochinver
Lairg - Luirg - the shank or shin.
Suilven Lairg Ullapool
Assynt - Asainn - The name Assynt may derive from an Old Norse word meaning ‘ridge end’. There is also a tradition that the name comes from a fight between the two brothers Unt and Ass-Unt, (meaning Man of Peace and Man of Discord). The latter having won the tussle gave his name to the parish. Suilven - Sula Bheinn - Norse-Gaelic hybrid meaning pillar mountain.
Inverness
Durness - Diùranais - the promontory of deer. The name is originally thought to come from the Norse Dyrnes, meaning ‘deer/animal headland’.
Oldshoremore Beach, oil and mixed media on canvas, 40(h) X 120(w) cm
Lairg, Sutherland, (Last light, long drive),
oil and mixed media on canvas, 100(h) X 100(w) cm
Assynt I, oil and mixed media on canvas, 30(h) X 90(w) cm
Last Light Lairg, Sutherland,
oil and mixed media on canvas, 40(h) X 51(w) cm
Assynt III,
oil and mixed media on canvas, 41(h) X 51(w) cm
Assynt II, oil and mixed media on canvas, 50(h) X 60(w) cm
Suilven, oil and mixed media on canvas, 40(h) X 80(w) cm
Lily Bread Crock
decorated by Dorell Pirie circa 1995 -1998
front and back 31(h) X 24(w) cm
Looking East from Oldshoremore, oil and mixed media on canvas, 100(h) X 100(w) cm
Sango Bay, oil and mixed media on canvas, 40(h) X 100(w) cm
Balnakeil,
oil and mixed media on handmade paper 30(h) X 30(w) cm
Inverie from Knoydart, oil and mixed media on canvas, 46(h) X 60(w) cm
Bluebell Vase, decorated by Dorell Pirie, circa 2006 - 2007 22(h) X 23(w) cm
West Highlands
Plockton
Gaelic Meanings: Plockton - Am Ploc - the pimple or bump. The village is on a lowish headland projecting into the mouth of Loch Carron. Loch Cluanie - Loch Cluanaidh - loch meadow. Knoydart - Cnòideart - the knoll fjord. The northern part is traditionally known as na Garbh-Chrìochan or ‘the Rough Bounds’. Inverie - Inbhir Aoidhe - possibly means ‘the mouth at the isthmus’ from Norse-Gaelic. Camusdarach - An Camas Darach - the oak bay.
Loch Cluanie
Knoydart Inverie Camusdarach
Fort William
Fish Ginger Jar
decorated by Lesley Thorpe potted by Fergus Stewart circa 1997 22(h) X 17(w) cm
West Coast, Knoydart, oil and mixed media on handmade paper, 36(h) X 70(w) cm
Loch Cluanie, oil and mixed media on canvas, 46(h) X 60(w) cm
Inverie, Knoydart, oil and mixed media on canvas, 40(h) X 51(w) cm
Camusdarach Beach, oil and mixed media on canvas, 46(h) X 60(w) cm
Sunset, Knoydart, oil and mixed media on handmade paper, 36(h) X 70(w) cm
Knoydart, oil and mixed media on handmade paper, 36(h) X 70(w) cm
Small Isles Canna Gaelic Meanings:
Sanday
Canna - Canaigh - to know, understand.
Rum
Mallaig
Sanday - Sanndaigh - from the Norse, ‘sand island’. Rum - Rùm - also spelt Rhum. Probably an elided form of Old Norse rom-ey: ‘Roomy island’. The h was inserted into the name at the beginning of the 20th century by its then owner Sir George Bullough, a wealthy Lancashire textile magnate. Eigg - Eige - a rift or notch. A topographical feature of this island. Muck - Eilean nam Muc - muc is a short form of muc-mhara meaning whale.
Eigg
Muck
Rum, Eigg, Muck, Canna & Sanday, oil and mixed media on canvas, 30(h) X 77(w) cm
Rum from Ben Meabost, oil and mixed media on canvas, 46(h) X 61(w) cm
Eigg, Muck & Canna, oil and mixed media on canvas, 30(h) X 77(w) cm
The Small Isles, oil and mixed media on canvas, 30(h) X 60(w) cm
Rum, Eigg, Muck, Canna & Sanday, oil and mixed media on handmade paper, 35(h) X 70(w) cm
Back Page:
Plockton Red,
oil & mixed media on canvas, 30(h) X 60(w) cm
A Tour of the Northwest Highlands & Skye
New Paintings by Shazia Mahmood 4 - 26 March Castle Gallery, 43 Castle St, Inverness, IV2 3DU www.castlegallery.co.uk 01463 729512