Blair Atholl castle

Blair Atholl
This painting is another case of a carefree day out providing unlikely inspiration.
My wife, Teresa, is passionate about horses and persuaded me I would enjoy a day at the International Horse trials at Blair Atholl.
And she was right, I did,
However, like all these big sporting events, as well as the horses, there was a large tented village thronged with people and selling everything from AGA cookers to Alpaca mittens.
It was quite a dull day and in contrast to the bustle of the arenas, Blair Atholl castle could just be been seen rising through the mist like something from Brigadoon.
As the mist cleared, the whitewashed building set against the backdrop of dark, brooding hills, looked like it was made of icing sugar.
As usual, I wasn't thinking about making a painting, but the very next day in the studio, the idea of a painting showing the contrast between the cool, crisp vision of the castle in its natural surroundings and the hot, hustle and bustle of the tented village just jumped out almost fully- formed