last light first light IV

Last light, Dec 31st 2017, wildlife hide, Ardtornish Estate

First light, Jan 1st 2017, wildlife hide, Ardtornish Estate

8 Ardtornish flowers

Unusually for me, this small bookwork was made more as a reminder of a lovely holiday with some lovely people, rather than being a "serious" part of my practice. I taught the kids (and some of the adults) in my extended family how to make cyanotypes "in the field," exposing them to the Scottish summer sunshine and washing/processing in the open. These are a few of a series of postcards I made once the kids went off to do other things.

ardtornish cyanotypes

This image is from a series of cyanotypes I made from plant life in Morven recently. 

dog rose petals and pollen grains, July 2014

Tennyson's waterfall

Tennyson's waterfall near the shore by Loch Aline

Walking along the shore of Loch Aline, I saw this sign near the old lime kiln and fossil burn. Tennyson was a regular guest at Ardtornish House at the head of Loch Aline.

a walk to Loch Ternait

Back again at Ardtornish in Morvern, we took a walk to Loch Ternait and Leacraithnaich Bothy. Jim and I last walked here 9 months ago, just 7 weeks before Angus was born, a time when we visited Staffa, and revisited the lead mines of Strontian a place where I'd made work many years ago.

Ternait too, is a place of memories from my childhood, though the bulldozed track that easily leads to the loch is a rather brutal scar on the land. But with the work that's happened in connection with the hydro scheme (damming past the outflow of the loch and diverting water through a pipeline) mud and silt has been dredged up on the track that has made the passage of wind on the surface water behave in an extraordinary way. Jim and I documented it on my digital camera, and this is the result.

In the middle of the loch lies a tiny crannog that used to house a shelter.

"Those accused of crimes from Lismore or Mull or neighbouring places, if they got permission from the Chief of Ardtornish to reside forty-eight hours on the island, were free from any liability to punishment. The island was thus a sanctuary – hence name Tearnait or Tearnaech Inaid, “place of safety”."

Loch Ternait from Leacraithnaich Bothy

The crannog can be seen towards the left of the image above (once zoomed in) as a greenish patch on the loch. Another place of safety, the  tranquility of the well maintained bothy seems to be constantly under threat from the forces of commerce, with the massive Glensanda Superquarry just visible from it's door. Still, it's a great spot, with summer water levels revealing sandy beaches around the fringes of the loch. It remains to be seen how the water levels will alter in future though once the hydro scheme is completed, and whether the beaches and indeed the crannog may be lost.

Map of Loch Ternait showing the crannog.
Leacraithnaich lies on the West side of the loch. 

Leacraithnaich bothy interior