Old Trees, New Trees

I walked up to the summit of Eilean Shona twice, once in the early morning and once in the evening. This view was seen on my descent and looks back toward the mainland, the tidal waters slowly covering, then revealing twisting areas of sand and mud. I noticed that the trees that I could see on the island were predominantly new plantation or those planted by previous owners, whereas I could make out native Scots Pine and Silver Birch beyond the coast of the mainland. I don’t paint a lot of vistas, usually my focus is closer to the picture plane and elements in the composition obscure the view, so this painting was a bit of a new challenge. I also wanted to evoke that feeling of heat and shade, which can be quite pronounced in the highlands when the sun is rising or falling.