This summer has been a very busy one.  In October 2018 we relocated to South Ronaldsay to a wonderfully secluded property on the Pentland Firth coastline.  The house is wonderful but comes with the added bonus of having a near-derelict old cottage on the land.  The past several months have been spent renovating, wiring and plumbing and now is a great space for painting and, just as importantly, mounting and framing work.  We have invested in professional framing equipment (Morso guillotine, Keencut mountcutter, Inmes under-pinner etc.,) and a state of the art inkjet printer.  We are now self-sufficient for producing and reproducing art all may through to framing and delivery - very exciting indeed!  You'll notice the brand new range of Limited Edition prints which we'll be adding to over the coming weeks.  We'll be retaining a few old favourites too so please have a browse of the prints section on the right for a peek at what’s new.

This time of year I’m usually preparing work for the annual Society of Wildlife Artists ‘Natural Eye’ exhibition at the Mall Galleries, London (24^th October – 3^rd November) but I’ll also be showing two paintings at the Mall Galleries a little earlier too as I was delighted to have work accepted for the Royal Society of Marine Artists annual exhibition (10^th October – 19^th October).  This is the first time I’ve submitted work so I was surprised and thrilled to be accepted. 

Every Cloud
Oil on board - accepted for the Royal Society of Marine Artists Annual Exhibition
Mall Galleries, London

The Tender; Stromness Marina
Oil on board - accepted for the Royal Society of Marine Artists Annual Exhibition
Mall Galleries, London

If you would like to follow what I’m up to on a day-to-day basis then please go to:
Tim Wootton Wildlife Art and Wildscape Gallery, Stromness both on Facebook.
(https://www.facebook.com/Tim-Wootton-Wildlife-Art-199693286747235/
https://www.facebook.com/Wildscape-Gallery-Stromness-635130666521796/)

Drawing & Painting Birds and Landscape in Orkney

Two consecutive days, EITHER Thursday 29^th and Friday 30^th June, OR Monday 3^rd and Tuesday 4^th July.  Participants can join us for one day only if required.

Visitors and locals often remark on the quality of light in the North Isles.  The wonderful landscapes have inspired artists throughout the ages.  Why not book a day or two sketching and painting the wildlife and landscapes of Orkney with Tim Wootton (SWLA) www.tim-wootton.blogspot.com.  You will receive friendly and encouraging personal tuition for artists of any (or no) experience. 
A full day with tuition – £125 per person / Maximum of 5 people (packed lunch included)

Day 1 – The Uninhabited Isle; Birds, Flowers, Landscape and Silence.
Spend a day on one of Orkney’s remotest islands in a small, informal group sketching and painting the wildlife around us. 
Expect to see wonderful birds such as puffins, guillemots and razorbills; skuas and gulls – learn a little of their anatomy and how this information can be used to draw them.
The day includes small boat travel and an additional cost of £20-£30 depending on location.

Day 2 – Moorlands and Tidelines; A day of Two Halves.
This day will be split into two sessions; sketching the upland birds; arctic skuas, curlews and short-eared owls (hopefully).  This can be tailored to suit depending on the participants, from a brisk coastal walk to a gentle upland stroll; either will get us close (enough) to where the birds are.
We will then head for the beach!  Waders and gulls all congregate on rocky and sandy weed-strewn beaches to feed, preen and stretch, bathe and doze.  And we will be there to watch and sketch them.
Travel around the county and a packed lunch is included.

Contact: tim.wootton@tiscali.co.uk           01856 851470 (daytime)
                                                                        01856 751454 (evening/weekend)
                                                                        07812 483123 (mobile)

Dale Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast - Up and Running!

Finally - Sally and I have finished the renovations to the house and open for business next week (2nd April).  Bookings have already started coming in so it looks like a busy time ahead for both of us.  
We will also be running Art Courses and Wildlife Watching Tours from the house, although it isn't essential to be staying with us to take advantage of these excursions - details below;

Drawing & Painting Orkney

Visitors and locals often remark on the quality of light in the North Isles.  The wonderful vistas and seascapes have inspired artists throughout the ages.  Why not book a day or two sketching and painting the wildlife and landscapes of Orkney with me.  You will receive friendly and encouraging personal tuition for artists of any (or no) experience.

Choose from:

Plein-air Landscape Painting and Sketching or Drawing Birds – or book for an extended visit and incorporate both.A full day with tuition – £125 per personThree days with tuition – £300 per personFive days with tuition – £450 per person

Wildlife ToursA typical day would include a moorland walk for hen harriers and short-eared owls, possibly merlin.  We will certainly see curlews and common gulls and also the iconic Arctic skua and Bonxie (Great skua).  Meadow pipits, skylarks and stonechats may also be encountered.

We have some fabulous seabird colonies around the coast with guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes and gannets breeding and puffins and tysties (black guillemots) are easy to see.Add a supporting cast of red-throated divers, eiders, wheatears, grey and common seals, porpoises, dolphins and even orcas – there’s plenty to see!

Tours can be structured to suit the individual; half-day trips start at £50 per person (max of 6 people), full-day tours £90 per person and extended excursions taking in wildlife and archaeological and historical sites are also available.

All excursions include transport around Mainland Orkney and packed lunch (maximum of 6 people).

Accommodation
Of course we would love to have you stay with us at Dale Farmhouse.  We offer a private suite with large double bedroom, sitting room with uninterrupted views over Eynhallow Sound and Evie beach and private bathroom.  The sitting room is equipped with tv, DVD player and a selection of reading material, plus a high quality bed-settee which can provide extra sleeping accommodation.
Please visit our website for further details:  www.dale-farmhouse.co.uk

2016 into 2017

Recent work has been a reflection on the early winter in Orkney - from the much anticipated arrival of the waxwings from Scandinavia tot he weather-whipped landscapes of the isles.

House Move and Recent Work

Having just visited my blog to check if I’m due to make another entry, to find it is almost 2 years since my last contribution!!! Where does the time go??!

So, to be brief; we moved house in May 2015.  The new house is Dale Farmhouse, Evie and we have spent the time renovating it from top to bottom.  We will be running it as a Bed & Breakfast, offering a suite of three rooms for guests (bedroom, bathroom and sitting room) on the first floor of the house with wonderful views over Eynhallow Sound and Rousay.  I think Sally and I shall have to book in as our own first guests!

The rest of the time has been spent illustrating (The Common Eider, Poyser) and a few illustrations for the wonderful new book by Andy Roadhouse “The Birds of Spurn” in addition to new interpretation panels for the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust.

Gallery work continues, hopefully with some progress . . .
Here is a small selection of work completed over the past several months since my last post here.  

Wet & Miserable Winter

The recent weather inspired these two small oil paintings - and they are now available as prints - 10" x 8", mounted, £25 each.
Why not send a grey, wet and miserable Orkney print as a gift this year?  Share the love!

Back Road, Stromness

Dreich Street

End Of Season 'Out Of The Frame' Bargain Originals

Having to make space on the gallery walls for new work, so in a fit of madness we have reduced the prices of many original paintings.
The new prices are the unframed price - please note postage and packing is at cost, or FREE for orders over £450.
Many thanks or looking!

 

1: arctic terns (50cm x 35cm, watercolour, was £575, no frame £SOLD)

2: black headed gulls (80cm x 50cm, watercolour, was £750, now £450 - unframed)

3: female red-backed shrike (40cm x 30cm) was £525, now £SOLD)

4: hares and snipes (conte & watercolour, 90cm x 50cm, was £835 now £SOLD)

5: lapwing (watercolour, 80cm x 50cm, was £735 now £375 - unframed)

6: liquid black - shags and eiders (charcoal, 70cm x 50cm, was £785 now £SOLD)

7: long-tailed ducks (charcoal, 90cm x 50cm, was £775 now £375 unframed)

8: manx shearwaters (charcoal, 90cm x 50cm, was £825 now £SOLD

9: Roller (70cm x 50cm, watercolour, was £785 now £390 unframed)

10: Should I stay or should I go - shags (charcoal, 75cm x 50cm, was £695 now £SOLD)

11: trout (charcoal, 80cm x 50cm, was £395 now £200 unframed)

12: willow warbler (watercolour, 50cm x 35cm, was £445 now £SOLD

13: woodchat shrike (watercolour, 70cm x 50cm, was £1250 now £SOLD)

14: wrens in butterbur (conte & watercolour, 80cm x 50cm, was £775 now £SOLD)

15: yellow-browed warblers (conte & watercolour, 80cm x 50cm, was £855 now £SOLD unframed)