Tag: Fife

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

On and off the Easel

This is what I’ve been working on over the last couple of months.

Farm road near Coaltown of Balgonie. 9″ x 12″, oil on Daler Rowney stretched canvas.

This is a very familiar local scene. I walk along here at least once a week. Painted from a photo I took in the summer when the oilseed rape crop was at the height of its stunning yellow colour.

Pittenweem Harbour, Fife. 9″ x 12″, oil on Daler Rowney stretched canvas.

Norma likes to buy bread from the local bakery shop here. We usually have a walk around the harbour when we visit.

Romantic Venice. 6″ x 10″. Oil on gesso primed plywood panel.

Brings back memories of the only time we visited Venice a few years ago.


Panoramic view of the Cuillin range, Skye. 9″ x 12″. Oil on stretched Canvas.

I was driving back from the Quiraing in September, when this view met me as I turned a corner. I simply had to stop and take a picture of the scene. Neither photographs nor paintings can do justice to the magnificence of the scenery on Skye.

All my paintings are listed on Etsy. Click HERE to see the latest available paintings.

 

St Monans Churchyard, Fife

I was recently commissioned to paint a view of the Churchyard at St Monans. The client wanted four children included in the painting but otherwise left me to choose the best view, which was much appreciated, as it enabled me to select a view which not only met the client’s specifications but allowed me to choose the view which I think best portrays the unique setting of St Monans church. The church building and churchyard are centre stage but I’ve included enough visual information to show the quaint fishing village, red-tiled houses and harbour in the distance with a wide expanse of sea and sky behind.

16″ X 12″, on Saunders Waterford paper.