Snags of Drumguish

£950.00

Original ink painting on canvas board
30 x 40 cm | Black calligraphy ink on canvas board
Unframed | Includes Certificate of Authenticity
Free UK shipping

A contemplative ink painting capturing the skeletal forms of dead trees - or “snags” - standing quietly in the raw, untamed landscape near Drumguish in the Scottish Highlands. These remnants of once-living trees, often overlooked, hold a haunting beauty. Their exposed forms echo themes of time, loss, endurance, and renewal - standing still, yet never entirely lifeless.

Snags of Drumguish was created using layered washes of black calligraphy ink, built up slowly through a series of delicate brushstrokes and intricate linework. The process was meditative and precise, reflecting the stillness and solemnity of the scene itself. Each mark draws attention to the textures and silences held within the landscape - the sense that something endures, long after the moment has passed.

This one-of-a-kind work was inspired by a photograph I took while hiking through a place that feels quietly charged, as though carrying memory in its soil and trees. The painting is as much about the emotional resonance of the landscape as it is about its physical form. It invites the viewer to pause, look closer, and consider what stories might be held in the standing remains of things long gone.

Original ink painting on canvas board
30 x 40 cm | Black calligraphy ink on canvas board
Unframed | Includes Certificate of Authenticity
Free UK shipping

A contemplative ink painting capturing the skeletal forms of dead trees - or “snags” - standing quietly in the raw, untamed landscape near Drumguish in the Scottish Highlands. These remnants of once-living trees, often overlooked, hold a haunting beauty. Their exposed forms echo themes of time, loss, endurance, and renewal - standing still, yet never entirely lifeless.

Snags of Drumguish was created using layered washes of black calligraphy ink, built up slowly through a series of delicate brushstrokes and intricate linework. The process was meditative and precise, reflecting the stillness and solemnity of the scene itself. Each mark draws attention to the textures and silences held within the landscape - the sense that something endures, long after the moment has passed.

This one-of-a-kind work was inspired by a photograph I took while hiking through a place that feels quietly charged, as though carrying memory in its soil and trees. The painting is as much about the emotional resonance of the landscape as it is about its physical form. It invites the viewer to pause, look closer, and consider what stories might be held in the standing remains of things long gone.

 

Artist Note:

I began this piece after a walk near Drumguish, a small hamlet that has a quiet resonance for me. The “snags” - the dead standing trees - struck me not as lifeless, but as markers of persistence. In Scottish woodland, these trees often remain rooted long after they’ve ceased growing, providing shelter and sustenance to countless other lives.

In this painting, I wanted to explore the idea of what remains. Using black calligraphy ink, I worked in layers, building depth slowly through fluid washes and painstaking detail. The work took shape gradually over the course of June, reflecting both the slow passing of time and the deep emotional connection I feel to these landscapes.

There’s something both solitary and communal about these trees - they stand alone, yet continue to nurture what surrounds them. In that sense, they remind me of family stories, memory, and the quiet power of place.

 

Details:

  • Size: 30 x 40 cm (12 x 16 in).

  • Medium: Black calligraphy ink on canvas board.

  • Original work, signed and dated on reverse.

  • Ships flat in protective, eco-friendly packaging.

  • Includes a hand-signed Certificate of Authenticity.

  • Free tracked UK shipping (international shipping available on request).