'Scotland's Wild Nature'
Paintings by Hilary Parke
Dawn Flight, a watercolour inspired by a crisp morning beside a hill loch in the Dumfries and Galloway hills.
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As a child I painted, drew and wrote stories for hours on end. I was lucky to have so much freedom: I would roam the woods and hedgerows, fascinated by voles, hedgehogs and hares, collecting flowers and fruits to bring home to paint. I watched keenly as a family of moorhens brought up their young on the nearby river, sketching and painting them at all their stages of growth.
Even through university, career and family life I would still manage to sketch and write but I never found the time to really indulge my desire to paint until a few years ago when I moved to Dumfries and Galloway. Now, inspired by the ever-changing palette of the varied local landscapes, I use my camper as a wildlife hide and studio, working in watercolour, acrylic, pastel and ink. I love the interplay between trees and water and the way the upland horizons interact with stormy, colourful skyscapes: all these elements try to creep into my paintings! |
