Acrylic on canvas, 12 x 16"

The painting is on a stretched canvas, painted round the sides, with a string on the back, so it is ready to hang as it is, or can be framed if you prefer.

A beach sunset is often an inspiring painting subject for artists. This one on the Scottish Isle of Mull felt particularly special to me. Its natural beauty was unspoilt by humans. I felt a similar feeling at many of the places we visited that summer. It has inspired me to create a Scotland art collection.

Fidden Beach was picturesque at all times of the day. One day we saw a group of sheep having an early morning stroll along the sand as though they were admiring the view as much as the humans. The first scene I decided to paint though, was the dramatic light of sunset, looking beautiful in the sky, on the sea and in reflections on the sand.

Some people call this time of day the "golden hour", when everything glows with a warm and golden light. Nature creates moments of stunning beauty like when the sun streamed through gaps in the clouds casting spotlights across the sea. These moments don't last for long so I take a lot of photographs and then use them as painting references while the feelings of being there are still vivid in my mind.

A photograph never seems to show the intensity of how it felt to actually be there, but I feel the emotions coming out into the painting as I spend time on it. I don't like to rush a painting because to me it is valuable time spent reflecting on special memories which I am grateful for. Our family trip around some of the Scottish islands was one of my most treasured times.

  There are some challenges with a painting like this. Trying to make the clouds look soft and the water look wet. Trying to make the beams look like light rather than solid 'spokes' poking out of the sky. Getting the sand to look more dry than the sea. I have found that the only way to depict bright light is to put quite a lot of dark next to it. I really enjoy working on creating this illusion from paint.

We travelled a long way from the hustle and bustle of our normal lives to get to this peaceful place. We drove off the Calmac Ferry from Oban on the mainland to Craignure on Mull. Our first impression was of a quiet and remote island where you could slow your pace of life right down.

There was not much traffic or many people until we reached our campsite, where it seemed like a crowd had congregated in a multitude of caravans and tents in different shapes, sizes and colours. At first our hearts sank a bit to see so many people.  But then we saw why all these people were here. The beach which runs along the side of Fidden Farm Campsite is outstandingly beautiful.

You can camp right next to the beach if you are lucky enough to get a good spot. On our first night, arriving later in the day, we didn't get a space where we wanted and had to pitch our tents a bit further away. The next morning though, people had reached the end of their stays and were leaving. As soon as we spotted the perfect vacated location, we unpegged our tents and carried/dragged them there without even dismantling them. I thought we must have looked a foolish sight but each morning I saw other people doing the same thing.

Right next to the busy-ness of the campsite it felt like there was an abrupt divide into a different world on the beach. A world of calm and stillness where you have time to take in the natural beauty of the scene. People didn't crowd onto the beach there, most of them enjoyed the view while staying on the campsite. There was an occasional person quietly wandering along the white sand.