Early Days...

Originally when we started this venture we thought of a main section devoted to Scotland. However, many Scottish "portraits" are on family walls over a wide area, including Canada, so we have changed it to "Early Days", covering various parts of my life. The only time when hardly any painting was done was the period when I went part time in an emergency, for one term, to run the music at the Edinburgh Academy Prep School. In the event I stayed for ten years full time! The happiest time of my life but little opportunity for getting paints out!

In Scotland

Scotland was my base for the first 50 years of my life and where my sons were all born. There are numerous sketches which illustrate how things have changed over the years.

St Abbs Harbour

Edinburgh View from the North

Lake of Menteith

In The Lake District

When the war came I was at Edinburgh Art College. I left and joined with a few other guiders to look after children who were too handicapped to be included in ordinary evacuation schemes. I got involved in the educational side of things and after six months my parents were persuaded that this was my real vocation and sent me to The Charlotte Mason P.N.E.U. College at Ambleside to be trained. After qualifying I was kept on as a member of staff, so was there for about 5 years.

Behind the Terrace

Kirkstone Pass

Country Lane

Wood Shed at Scale How

In Northumberland and Newcastle on Tyne

In 1944 I went to teach at Ellen Bicknell's P.N.E.U. school at Gosforth, Newcastle, spending two very happy years there, prior to my marriage in 1946. One of our school parents was the vicar of Elsdon, an isolated Northumberland village. I often went there at weekends to play their organ, thus getting to know the countryside which was not far away from one of our family homes in Berwickshire.

Elsdon

Newcastle Bridges

Corner of Durham

Newcastle Market