Our seascapes are something special – and for artist Rebecca Patterson they are an inspiration.
And it’s little wonder, for stretches of Scotland’s coastline – in particular those surrounding the north-east – have the drama and grandeur that make them picture perfect.
Sitting on top of the rocky coastline near Stonehaven, with the North Sea as a backdrop, Dunnottar Castle is perhaps one of the region’s most recognisable landmarks – and a great subject for landscape artists.
Last summer, Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year filmed in the area for the ninth series of the show, and Rebecca, 36, from Aberdeen, was among the artists taking part.
Stonehaven also features in the series, as do other locations across the UK including Hever Lake, and Hever Castle – where Anne Boleyn spent her childhood – and Liverpool.
Each heat of the show sees eight artists working in pods outside, to create a plein air painting – with just four hours to complete it. The winner from each heat goes through to the semi-final.
Also taking part at each stage are 50 wildcard entrants, selected from artists who didn’t make the official contestant list. Their work is assessed by the judges who then choose a winner from each heat. They then enter a pool of wildcard winners, with one going through to the semi-final.
Inspired by the coast
The winners from the heats and the best wildcard artist compete in the semi-final, with three chosen to compete in the final.
Mixed media landscape artist Rebecca, who works as a senior creative practitioner with Grampian Hospitals Arts Trust Artroom project, was a wildcard contestant on the show.
She said: “The show was a bit of a dream for me to be part of because it’s my field work.”
Rebecca describes herself as dabbling in “other bits and bobs” but says her “main focus” is landscapes.
And the opportunity to paint the coastal gem of Dunnottar was right up Rebecca’s street as she explained: “I love seascapes, they are a go-to for me. I grew up near Elgin so I’m very familiar with the Moray coast.
She added: “A lot of my works are inspired by the coast around Hopeman predominantly, but wherever I go I’m inspired.
“My friends and I we go out painting on plein air. We’ve been doing castles and Duthie Park, places of interest like that as well.”
‘Dunnottar is such a beautiful landscape’
Explaining what led to her taking part, she said she had applied to be a main contestant, but wasn’t chosen. However, having wildcard participants on the show meant the door wasn’t closed.
She said: “A friend of mine saw that they were going to film it Stonehaven and thought that would be brilliant – let’s apply to the wildcards. So we applied to go to Dunnottar Castle for filming and we were both accepted.”
Reflecting on the experience, she said: “It was such a beautiful day, beautiful sunshine, we went there just thinking it would be a really nice day out, a great experience – do some artwork, meet lots of people – just have a really good day.
“Dunnottar is such a beautiful, incredible landscape with the castle and the cliffs it’s so dramatic. It just really lends itself to paintings and artworks.
“We could have applied to be at Stonehaven harbour which was filmed the day before. But we chose to apply for Dunnottar just because of the drama that we would be able to get in the work we were going to do.”
Vibrant colours
Rebecca’s Dunnottar painting is now available to view at the Eion Stewart Fine Art gallery in Stonehaven.
Describing what she produced that day, Rebecca said: “It’s a very high contrast piece. I usually use quite a lot of colour in my pieces, but they’re toned down slightly, but this was quite vibrant, and quite dramatic.
“It had been my plan to tone everything down slightly, but I feel it worked really well just because of the drama, the landscape, and the history of the castle. I thought it was nice to have that dynamic feel to it.”
‘I don’t get that in my studio’
“I don’t tend to take my full range of materials out with me but I did that day. I’m usually a studio-based painter but being able to be out and have a pitch and being able to set up, just being lucky with the weather even, meant I could create a really strong piece.”
Rebecca, who is also an art tutor and on The Aberdeen Artists Society council, has a studio in Aberdeen, so painting outdoors – with an audience to boot – was a different experience for her.
She said: “It’s strange having the TV cameras around; there are lots of spectators as well as members of the public coming and looking and asking questions, engaging, and getting feedback kind of on the spot – I don’t get that in my studio!”
Landscape Artist of the Year is hosted by Stephen Mangan and the show’s judges are Tai Shan Schierenberg, Kathleen Soriano and Kate Bryan.
Describing what it was like working on her painting while the judges were there, Rebecca said: “They kind of walk about and look at your stuff and they were just silent walking past me and my friend – they just didn’t give anything away!”
- The series started on January 10 and will air every Wednesday on Sky Arts, Freeview Channel 36, and streaming service NOW.
Conversation