Elgin Exhibition ends 28th February

Our Elgin exhibition ends on the 28th February. It has been rewarding with nine sales so far. Thanks for the lovely comments in the comments book and thanks to all who turned out for the preview on a wild wet windy night. Pictured with me is my good friend Brian Anthony.If you didn't get a chance to go you can view my work at
 http://www.saatchiart.com/Lightwaterart1

Elgin Marvels

I am wondering if I have lost my marbles, or at least dreaming wishfully. My exhibition at Elgin has been successful with eight paintings sold. Then the sale of a painting and print from my website to America and sales from' Picture This' art gallery in Inverness. Just need some sales from Saachi on Line to round of the week.
The painting above is Black Rock Cottage in Glen Coe, one of the eight Elgin sales.

Euro Duck

It would seem that it is not only xenophobic Brits worried about unprecedented levels of migration. Spain has complained to Britain that large numbers of North American Ruddy Ducks are relocating from Britain to Spain and breeding with native White Headed Ducks. The North American Ruddy Duck was introduced to Britain by Peter Scott and have a voracious sexual appetite, so much so that the male White Headed Duck, and any other type of duck for that matter, cannot compete! The Ruddy Ducks are definitely not benefit tourists but go to Spain to work, as the female duckaritas will testify. Ruddy Ducks think the schengen agreement is a jolly good idea but the Spanish are so worried that they have asked for the Ruddy Ducks to be culled in the United Kingdom. This has already started! Does this not set a dangerous precedent? Might Britain ask the French to start culling would be migrants at Calais? where will it all end? Could it be that a Federal State of Europe starts with the creation of the Euro Duck? Surely those in favour of ever greater union should petition Brussels to cease this cull immediately.

Summer at Retreat Cottage

This is the fourth painting of Retreat Cottage. This one is Summer with the strong contrast of light and shade summer gives.The four paintings are all the same size 24" x 24" or 60cm x 60cm  The other three, Spring, Autumn and Winter can be seen on Saatchi on Line.
http://www.saatchionline.com/Lightwaterart1

Am I Crazy?

Am I crazy? My fellow Buddhist practitioners would ALMOST certainly think so and the wider world certainly would. I have talked before about the little Sparrow who sits on the gutter above my front door, always in the same place looking down at me. I call him ( for it is a he ) my Guru and I feel a profound love for him.

Why is this? Well almost all my enlightened moments, mystical moments, peak moments, call them what you will. have occurred in nature. I have had what seemed to me mystical moments and these have happened completely out of the blue, always in nature, always alone and never sought. Duality just dropped away and I was at one with my surroundings. What were these experiences?

I have meditated for years, been on the path, talked about enlightenment, understood intellectually the 51 mental events identified by the Abhidarma scholars.but I am not enlightened, That is to say in the sense that I am in the constant state of bliss which we seem to be aiming for.. It has to be said also neither are any of my fellow practitioners, as far as it it possible for me to ascertain! The trouble is that there is no path to follow and we are still caught up with this idea. We study, practise and in some Buddhist groups pass a series of tests until we are considered worthy enough to be given a funny name. We are then admitted to a sort of hierarchy and are expected then to initiate less ' advanced ' beginners along the same ' path '  Does this miss the point? There is a line in the Heart Sutra which reads ' Attainment too is emptiness ' So what are we striving for? This mysterious thing called enlightenment? Anybody can have the kind of experience I described above and you don't have to be a Buddhist. Just stop trying!

This is not to say I am recommending anyone to give up on Buddhism, I am not. Meditation will at the very least make you a happier more integrated person and most importantly if you join a Sangha you will benefit enormously. Thich Nhat Hanh said the Sangha is holy, even if some people in it are not!

So I am happy to give up trying, to just be, and be open to my Guru, be it the Geese flying over on migration, a flower or my little Sparrow. So some will think I am crazy and some will get it.

There is a famous Zen saying by Hsin Hsin Ming ' Before enlightenment, chopping wood and carrying water. After enlightenment, chopping wood and carrying water'. Of course these days we have to find the rent and attend to emails and facebook as well!

I will finish with my favorite quote by T S Elliot. ' And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time'

Sailing into Blue

Another acrylic ink painting. Looks better in the flesh so to speak! I don't know why but some paintings show more background material though the paint than others when photographed. Nevertheless I enjoyed the simplicity of this painting but don't think it is good enough to upload to Saatchi on line.

Painting in France

Over Christmas and New Year I spent time with my two brothers in France. As previous readers of my blog may know my brother Tony is a fine artist. A lot of his recent work has been with acrylic ink. This is a medium I hadn't used before so I took the opportunity to experiment with some of Tony's paint. This loose interpretation of poppies is one example.
While I was there Tony sold a painting on Saatchi on Line. It was this one if you are curious.
http://www.saatchionline.com/art/Painting-Winter-morning/585450/1744219/view

Independence for Scotland

I was inspired by the increasingly fierce debate on Scottish Independence to paint this picture.Everyone will interpret this painting differently. The Scottish National Party will see it as leaving the burning wreck of the Union. The Better Together campaign might see it as a warning as to what might happen if there is a yes vote and then of course there is the Braveheart element! As an Englishman living in Scotland I am entitled to vote in next years referendum.How shall I be voting? Well that is between me and the ballot box. What does this painting mean to you? The painting is acrylic on deep framed stretched canvas and is 20" x 20" ( 51cm x 51cm ) It is for sale so if anyone would like to buy it for Alex Salmond let me know.

Sold from Picture this Art Gallery

This original was sold today from the ' Picture This ' art gallery in Inverness where I am currently working two days a week. The gallery specializes in Scottish art and is worth a look, not least because you might be tempted to buy my other original work ' A Retreat Cottage in Autumn '

Conventional Buyers

 My artist friends tell me that my latest work is more exciting and better than my older paintings. However given the choice between these ' exciting ' paintings and more conventional work buyers have opted for conventional. These originals or prints of originals were sold at my recent exhibition. What does this tell us?

To see my more recent stuff go to

www.chrisgauntartist.co.uk

To see my brothers more adventurous paintings go to.http://www.saatchionline.com/tony-gaunt

Retreat Cottage in Spring

This is my third painting of Retreat Cottage. I have completed Autumn and Winter and will shortly paint Summer to make a quartet. I am enjoying working with these quite large canvases. They measure 24" x 24" and make a colourful wall feature. I have added this to Saatchi on Line and it will be on my website soon.
www.chrisgauntartist.co.uk
To see the other two in this series go to-http://www.saatchionline.com/Lightwaterart1

Saatchi on Line

I have started selling my art work on the Saatchi on Line website.




To see some of my latest paintings go to the following link.
http://www.saatchionline.com/Lightwaterart1

Retreat Cottage in Winter

Here is the second painting of Retreat Cottage, this one in winter. I have already painted autumn with spring and summer to go.The size is 24" x 24" on stretched canvas and is ready to hang. If you want to buy this you can see it plus Retreat Cottage in Autumn at saatchi on line.
http://www.saatchionline.com/art/Painting-Retreat-Cottage-in-Winter/653049/1798690/view

Retreat Cottage in Autumn

A place for peace.
A place of renewal.
Acrylic on stretched canvas. 24" x 24"
It is for sale. Contact me for details.

The Five Sisters of Kintail

The Five Sisters of Kintail are the iconic range of Scottish mountains overlooking Loch Duich not far from the Isle of Skye.
This painting is 60cm x 50cm

Ben Lomond from Loch Ard

This painting is 60cm x 60cm ( 24" x 24" ) acrylic on stretched canvas. I was inspired to use these colours by another artists work. I liked the primal way they made me feel.

The subject is Ben Lomond from Loch Ard. It is interesting the way we relate to colours and what they do to our emotions. I get a feeling of tranquility from this. How do you feel?

Exhibition at Blue Angel Cafe

 My exhibition at the Blue Angel Cafe in theFindhorn Foundation has started and is on until mid November. I have hung 20 paintings all original and I have kept the prices affordable as I am donating 10% to the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. SSPCA. I also have three paintings in the Moray Art Centre close by so why not give that a look too?

Staying in Tonight

Staying in Tonight is the title of this the third of my cat trilogy. These paintings follow the adventures of Ginger. The first is called A Night on the Tiles the second is titled A Near Miss They will all be in my exhibition at The Blue Angel Cafe Findhorn Park from 14th October to mid November.

River of Light

This is the third semi abstract from my trilogy. This one will be in my forthcoming exhibition at the Blue Angel cafe Findhorn Park from 14th October.

River Bank ( Abode of Ratty )

Here is the second semi abstract of my trilogy.

Wild Wood ( the abode of Mr Badger )

I have been painting a trilogy of abstracts. Free flowing watercolour backgrounds with a few brush strokes of acrylic to develop the story which emerges from the settled watercolour. All done at speed to avoid too much conscious thinking. The size is approximately 40 X 30cm for all three paintings.
This one is called ' Wild Wood where Mr Badger lives ' and may be in my exhibition at the Blue Angel cafe from 14th October.

Ferry Port Iona

This is another painting inspired by my recent stay on the sacred island of Iona. Sunrise on the empty ferry terminal before the day tourists and pilgrims arrive.The painting is acrylic on canvas and is 60cm x 50cm

Findhorn Original Garden and the Cat

Every Saturday members of the Northern Lights Sangha meet for a morning of meditations. I quite often join them and it is always wonderful. One of the meditations consists of walking slowly and mindfully around the Findhorn Foundation's Original Garden.

The garden is a delight, an eclectic mixture of wild flowers, vegetables, fruit trees and cultivated flowers. Now whether you believe that the story of giant vegetables on extremely poor soil is a myth or not, it is absolutely undeniable that there is a terrific energy here.

Almost always during our walking there is a zen like black cat in the garden. He is completely unfazed by the 15 to 20 humans walking around his domain and just gets on with his business. This mostly consists of just being, although he is not adverse to the odd stroke and ear tickle.

It is sobering that we, advanced beings supposedly, have to make a constant effort to be in the moment and yet for this cat it is effortless. Is he affected by the gardens energy I wonder?

Traveling Dolphin

My good friend Bryan is continuing with his camper van murals. He has completed the back and is working on this side. It is beautiful and always raises smiles and lifts spirits. In these days of increasingly dark and violent news we need to be reminded that the vast majority of humankind is decent and generous.
To view Bryan's web page and art go to http://www.baj-art.co.uk/a1-page.asp?page=0

Blue Poppies

As the summer draws to a close I wanted to celebrate the extraordinary exuberance of this years floral growth. Is it my imagination or has everything grown more strongly as if to make up for last year's lack of sun. Even the bees are making a comeback! I also read that Red Squirrels have increased for the first time in 50 years. This is a watercolour size 36cm x 26cm

Red Tractor

Just playing with a fun abstract while waiting for inspiration. Acrylic on canvas 50cm x 40cm

Last Swim

 On Saturday a dwindling number of the members of our informal swim club took a bracing swim in the icy waters of the Moray Firth.
In Buddhism we are constantly reminded of the impermanent nature of existence. The arising of certain conditions give birth to something and then dissolving when those conditions no longer exist. Therefore given that the conditions drawing us to swim in the icy Scottish waters may be changing, this could be our last swim of this year! We are also reminded to be in the moment so accordingly we enjoyed every freezing minute. Hopefully conditions will arise to draw us into the water again. Perhaps next year now!

Mini Poppy Prints

This painting of poppies has been so popular that I have been selling mini prints ( 6" x 4" ) on ebay.co.uk where I have a shop and they have been selling well. The original has been sold but if you would like to buy one of these small prints at only £3.50 go to www.ebay.co.uk and search for Chris Gaunt or go to this direct link http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Light-Water-Art
If you would like to view some of my other work go to www.chisgauntartist.co.uk

Innocent child.Innocent nature

I have been on a bit of a road trip for 10 days. visiting friends and family. My furthest distance from Scotland was Frome in Somerset. This was a long overdue visit to my niece Vanessa and her mother Belinda. So good to catch up. Then back up to Northampton to see my step brother Maurice and his wife Margaret. Finally on to Norfolk to catch up with my extended family including my son Julian. This picture is of my granddaughter Isla and mum Vicky. She is so beautifully, mischievously innocent.The photo below is the river I used to frequent in my boyhood and I sat there yesterday with my son. We both like sitting quietly observing and feeling the beauty and innocence of nature.

Beautiful Bindweed

It's only a weed they say but wild flowers are every bit as glorious as their cultivated relations.
I was stuck by the intensity of this Bindweed against the sun dappled dark undergrowth. Painting takes my mind off my little problems and more importantly all the horrible things going on in this world. These flowers keep reminding me there is beauty and goodness too.

Acrylic on canvas. 40cm x 30cm


The Bridge

I have always loved the contrast between light and dark early in the morning or in the evening. This painting is of strong evening sunlight picking out a little bridge across a small stream. It is acrylic on a large canvas. 60cm x 60cm ( 24" x 24" )  The title is ' The Bridge ' and is available to purchase.

Mo Farah. Gracious Human Being. Great Athlete

I was thrilled by the wonderful second gold medal Mo won at the Moscow world championships. I was only one of hundreds of thousands of emotionally moved spectators. I was moved, not only by the race, but by the man himself. He is a truly gracious gentleman in all senses of the word.Really happy for him.

Iona Abbey

Iona Abbey from the slopes of Dun I. Another of my paintings from my recent stay on the sacred island of Iona. Scottish West Coast.

Elgin Open Art Exhibition

 The Moray Art Club open exhibition at Elgin Library starts with a preview on Saturday 10th August and runs to 23rd August.

If you are near please take a look. Entries have been selected from numerous talented artists.

I have entered these two quirky cat paintings.

Iona Sacred Isle. Scottish West Coast.

Iona Sacred Isle

I have just spent a week on Iona staying at the Findhorn Foundation's cottage. Seven strangers came together to create a wonderful group dynamic.We were blessed with exceptional weather and I took advantage of that to swim from the white sandy beaches. The water was clean, clear and cold, very energizing!

I also painted a couple of pictures. This one is of Lagandorain ( now a hostel ) with the islands tallest hill behind painted in early morning light. The hill is called Dun I ( pronounced Dun-ey much to the amusement of Aussie visitors ) and I painted it from Croc an Suidhe ( hill of the seat ) which is reputed to be saint Columba's favorite spot..

A Near Miss

A Near Miss is the title of my acrylic painting of Ginger out hunting. It is 12" x 12" ( 30cm x 30cm ) on stretched canvas. If you are interested in purchasing this painting please contact me. Thank you for looking.

Flowing into Loch Morlich.

This is my painting of the stream that runs into Loch Morlich ( Cairngorms National Park, Scotland ) and was painted at the scene. It is acrylic and is 40cm x 30cm
The stream is called Abhainn Ruigh-eunachan and I must look up it's meaning in Gaelic.
The Cairngorm national park is very beautiful and if you have never visited please put it on your bucket list

Andy Murray, Wimbledon and Maitreya the future Buddha

Now that we have got a British winner of Wimbledon in Andy Murray I must revise my Blog of the 3rd November 2011. In that Blog ' Maitreya the future Buddha. Why the long wait ' I said waiting for Maitreya to appear was like waiting for a British man to win Wimbledon! Now we have one. Does this mean Maitreya will arrive soon to lead the world out of darkness? Well why not? Andy's win according to channel 4 news is adding to a resurgence in the British economy and British spirits.Well done Andy, fantastic achievement and so much more than just a wonderful tennis match!If you are interested in reading my now outdated Blog click the link below or go to Buddhism, my personal exploration.http://chrisgauntartist.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Buddhism.%20My%20personal%20exploration.

Popular Poppies

My Poppy paintings seem to have struck a cord. Sold this one entitled ' Red Haze ' this week.