When you think about the work that artist Ron Lawson has shared over the years – it is likely the large sweeping landscapes of the Western Isles come to mind.
But for Ron, this year – of all the decades he has visited the islands, was the “most difficult” due to ferry travel.
He normally goes to the islands three times a year to take in the awesome seascapes and landscapes which go into creating his work.
But this year, after his second trip of the year to the islands in June, he lost the will to do it a third time.
The former DC Thomson Studio artist, who set up on his own in 2010, said: “I think I will need to become like Flora MacDonald and get my own ferry to cross the sea to the Western Isles.
‘At the moment the ferry is having a detrimental impact on island life’
“Even going back the 15 years I’ve been going as an artist, I don’t remember a time when it was as difficult to get to the islands from Uig.
“And while not getting to the island impacts my own work, it is fairly insignificant on the scale that islanders have to cope with.
“I am more concerned about the knock-on effect for islanders if they can’t get off the islands, and tourists can not get on.”
“At the moment the ferry is having a detrimental impact on island life.”
Asked if that had an impact on his paintings, he said it did – but not in the way you might expect.
Known for his technical drawings in landscapes where he delights in a low-lying house with a red roof, fans are in for a surprise.
He continued: “When I paint scenes from the Western Isles, they sell all over the world. In fact this week I put up 10 paintings for sale on Monday.
“Of these, half are going to the US and Australia.
“People tell me that they are inspired by the paintings to come to Uist and the other islands. Many of my customers have not been there before.
“When I paint I am trying to capture the very essence of these places in my work – this year the islands were deserted.
“I have never known the beaches and roads to be so quiet as they were.”
The result is that Ron’s show due to open later this month has bird studies and “more pops of colour ” in paintings.
He continued: “I don’t know how the island economy – which is, of course, not all about tourists – can see such a decline in numbers and continue to survive.”
Ron says the people on the island say it is the “uncertainty” of whether someone can get to the island, or not that is reducing the number of people who come.
Ron Lawson eventually listened to CalMac staff
After a “near perfect” trip in April, he returned again in June for work.
“I knew I had this exhibition coming up in October, and I thought I would make two more trips to the island to sketch for that exhibition.”
But even getting to the island in June proved a problem. He booked in January – and yet the night before his trip his booking was cancelled.
Undeterred Ron tried to re-book for later in the week. In doing so he cancelled his original booking.
After trying to rebook his motorhome accommodation on the island, he realised it was going to be impossible.
In the end, and after taking advice from CalMac staff he turned up at the ferry port.
He was told it was “unlikely” that he would get on the ferry – but he waited in the standby queue – and eventually he got onto the boat.
“People,” he said, “need certainty – and visitors need to know they can get to their destination. It seems impossible to do at the moment – but it needs to change to allow the islands to thrive.”
CalMac say there is pressure on services
We asked CalMac what they thought of the claims the ferry service was impacting on island visitors.
A spokeswoman for the ferry operator said: “CalMac vessels carry around five million passengers a year, a number which is steadily growing. While this is good news for island communities relying on visitors, it can lead to increased pressure on the service at certain times.
“However more than 95% of all scheduled sailings go ahead and with wide availability across our network, we look forward to welcoming Mr Lawson on board any time.
“The six major and 10 small new vessels coming over the next few years are very much welcome, however, we face a difficult period as we wait in anticipation for them to be fully operational on our network.
She added: “With regards to cancellations, we recognise that when any of our services are cancelled, it impacts the communities and businesses and visitors we serve and I apologise whenever this happens.”
Ron Lawson’s new exhibition, A Brush with Colour, will run from October 21 to November 12 at the Strathearn Gallery.
To find out more, visit www.strathearn-gallery.com.
