Material Matters

The latest exhibition at the North Coast Visitor Centre has now started. The theme is 'Material Matters':

Artists have interpreted the theme in various ways. Some have chosen to focus on the use of materials in their work, others have made their work about various materials. My entries are about the use of metal sheeting as a building material in the Highlands.

 

Red roofs were once a common sight in the the Highlands, but they are becoming rarer these days. Where heather thatch would once have been used, corrugated iron was a quicker and, arguably more durable alternative. They were usually painted with red oxide to deter rust.

 Field Barn above Little Loch Broom

Watercolour, 26 cm x 36 cm - £280

 

Most artists I know seem to be attracted to ruined buildings. They have so much character, with their crooked lines and crumbling facades. I find it fascinating how they can eventually be reduced to little more than an indistinct mound in the landscape.

The Old Croft at Balavreed

Watercolour, 26 cm x 36 cm - £280

 

Simple buildings can be made from a wooden frame and covered entirely with metal. These are quick and inexpensive to erect, and can even be dismantled and moved.

 Boathouses at Shurrery

Watercolour, 17 cm x 26 cm - £180

 

I find that metal roofs have an almost organic quality. Although they are man-made, they rust and eventually disappear in the same way as any natural material.

 View from an Old Croft

Watercolour, 17 cm x 26 cm - £180