Having recently finished a series of paintings for an exhibition on industrial architecture in the landscape of the north east I found myself pulled again to the east coast. The west coast at this latitude of England isn't too interesting, but the east coast has some fantastic stretches. I decided to focus on St Abbs which is in an amazing fifteen mile stretch of coast in south east Scotland, where the Lammemuir Hills meet the sea. I have had a few days there now and have seven paintings on the go which I hope to finish in the studio combined with another visit in a few weeks.

The painting above went through a change of composition and redrawing, and is almost cubist at present. The blue of the sea and sky is a bit disconcerting in the photo, but the camera exaggerates the blue and even Scotland has clear days. There was a sea fret the last time I tried to paint there while the rest of the country basked in sunshine.

The experience of being there is the real attraction and it has a fantastic coastal walk, painting is just one way of exploring and experiencing a place.