painting of the old pack horse bridge

The Barrel Brig, Queen Mary’s Road, Fife

A few months ago I entered the NYAS open postcard competition, to paint a local landmark on a postcard. I didn’t win, but it was an interesting challenge. I primed the card with shellac, so that the oil paint wouldn’t seep through.

On the back of the postcard, I wrote the following info about this ancient pack horse bridge:

“The Barrel Brig, Queen Mary’s Road, Fife”
Oil on shellac and acrylic primed card.

The Barrel Brig, south of the old mining village of Coaltown of Balgonie, Fife, is a narrow 18th century barrel-vaulted pack-horse bridge, built to replace a medieval bridge. Spanning the river Ore with two arches, cutwater buttresses and no parapets, this route was in use when Mary Queen of Scots rode from Wemyss Castle to Falkland Palace in the mid 1500s. An ancient right of way, it has recently been the subject of a local protest against Network Rail’s proposed closure of pedestrian access to the Barrel Brig due to the re-opening of a rail link to the coastal town of Leven. (Latitude: 56.1726 / 56°10’21″N Longitude: -3.1166 / 3°6’59″W)

You can now buy an A4 print off the NYAS website for £18! (I’ll get a small percentage if you do!)

Here’s the link: https://www.nyartschool.org/product-page/the-barrel-brig-queen-mary-s-road-by-jo-johnson-a4-print

painting of the old pack horse bridge

glass of water oil painting

A Glass of Water

Been looking at some inspiring “Daily Paintings” lately, and while I don’t yet have the stamina or the self-discipline to finish a painting every day, I like the idea of not being too ambitious and focusing in on a modest subject rather than trying to produce an epic masterpiece! This is my first effort, also trying to use the paint more loosely and thickly and not fussing over tiny details. Plenty of room for improvement, but I can see myself making some progress.

A little oil painting study of a glass of water.
Glass of Water, Oil on Gesso primed board, 4″ x 5″.

Cherry blossom, Markinch

Norma and I admired this cherry blossom a few months ago, on our walk to the cemetery where our youngest son was buried earlier this year. The trees were bursting into life after a long, cold winter, and reminded us of the believer’s sure and certain hope:

“…when … this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? … thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 15:53-57)

Cherry Blossom, Markinch Village, Fife, Original Oil Painting on 10″ x 8″ (26 x 20 cm) unframed stretched canvas. Varnished, ready to frame.

[Check this ‘For Sale’ link, to find out if it’s still available.]