dominique cameron RSW

Overcast, muted, today. The sea mumbles, a few dogs on the beach come over for a nosey. The red rocks here in this small outcrop are different from everything else around. Contorted and spewed, this particular ancient volcanic seam, now held fast, petrified, tumbling toward the sea. From the beach looking back it takes the form of a slain dinosaur, spiny platelets marking the passage of its body. Seals and shags keep watch. The Bass Rock flattens to a tanker inching its way along the horizon.

There they are, the swallows, flitting between the station roof and the railway track. A warning about the midges from a waitress who says when she lived at Rannoch she would even find them in her knickers. As you do. A lone bumblebee fills the whole moor with its buzzing. Slipping as I cross the burn, wet feet again. The rowan greets me as I climb on to my drawing knoll. Standing on a large granite boulder as if it were the prow of a ship, I look out, beyond all of myself to the great unfurling moor, and feel as if this sky, these hills, this bog is enough for any one person. Sitting down I pull out drawing paper and a plastic freezer bag that should contain pencils, crayons, ink and brushes. Instead however, I look to see a bag of cooked , cold chipolatas. I stare at them for a long time, unsure as what I am thinking and when finally a thought does arrive the question is whether I might be able to draw with a sausage ? Really? Really. Rootling around further in the depths of my rucksack produces the art materials, Drawing, following the line of hills, brushing sun and shadow, finding the rhythm of Rannoch that sounds across the bogland, I close my eyes and fall in.

Just to let you know that if you fancied grabbing a copy of the book to accompany the exhibition then do please got in touch. the price is £20 plus £2 postage.

You can email me at dominiquecameron3@gmail.com and we can arrange a copy to be sent.

Also, theres a great review of the show from arts journalist Jan Patience on her substack site – airts and pairts, if you were able to take a look 🙂

Thanks

Dominique x

A huge thank you to everyone that came along on saturday for the opening of the show. It was a great day with lots of good conversations about the project and art making in general. And with some sales too it was a great success. Do drop along if you can, the show runs until the 22nd June.

Tomintoul and Granny Pine, Abernethy wood.

High pillowed clouds in the bluest sky in May, recedes to violet and smalll patches of snow still visible on the northern facing mountains. A tottering lapwing, worries its patch of earth. In the woods the towering Scots Pines, a few Grannies as they are known – the oldest, tallest, gnarliest of them, wild and unkempt in their dotage and beautiful. The sun slants to the forest floor picking out dog violets. Meet an elderly couple who walk here every day – he was head forester way back when. They have been married sixty two years. He talked about the once thriving capercaillies and the small woodland birds that would feed from his hand. Butterflies dart and birdsong fills the pine scented air.

Oil, charcoal and collage on wood panel – 40 x 50 cm.

‘Shall we go ?” – Acrylic on panel – 122 x 100 cms.

My solo show ‘Waterland’ with Fidra Fine Art is opening soon – the preview is the Saturday 17th May in the afternoon. The work is based on the landscapes of Rannoch Moor and Methil docks. Unlikely bedfellows at first glance but they share the same indeterminate state of being. The old wooden piers at dock number 3 in Methil and the bog of Rannoch inhabit both land and water in that they are neither one thing or the other wholly. This constant state of uncertainty proved to be an interesting starting point to think about not only the landscape itself but perhaps other outside influences on myself this year. This has been a multi disciplinary project with drawings, paintings, an installation and small sculptural works. I do hope you can make it along, if not for the opening but at some point over its run with Alan at the gallery. There will also be a talk hosted by Alan and myself exploring some of the themes in the project. No date yet for this but I’ll keep you posted, it will be sometime during the exhibition. The dates are May 17th – 22nd June 2025.

Dominique x

Mixed media on wood – 100 x 100 cms.

Oil on wood – 50 x 40 cms.