THE CALL OF THE MOUNTAINS

The Call of the Mountains

Each and every day this week my calendar has been kindly reminding me that I should be in Zell am See, in Austria, skiing for my friend’s birthday. If that wasn’t cruel enough, mother nature has dumped 4 inches of snow in the garden just to rub it in.

The mountains have called me every year since I was a kid, ski seasons guiding in Colorado, ski touring in the Arctic circle and regular trips to the mountains of Europe are most always the highlight of my year. Yet this year, understandably, that is all on hold and I must resist their lure.

For my alpine fix, I am contenting myself with enjoying the beautiful mountainous landscape paintings which I have snaffled from the gallery to adorn my walls. My absolute favourite painting at the moment is the resonant and elegant ‘First tracks’ skiing landscape by Sir William Russell Flint. A master of the soft and subtle tones of watercolour, it is a wonder to me that Flint didn’t paint more skiing subjects. He has so magnificently captured the delicate nuances of the shades of white on the snow and it makes the heart yearn for those crisp, clear, winter mornings standing atop a pristine untouched slope.

Another wonderful new addition to the gallery collection is a stunning Scottish landscape by Alfred de Breanski. This rich and evocative highland loch scene takes me back to my time studying at the University of St. Andrews where we took every opportunity to escape to walk in the mountains. There is a light at dusk in the hills which de Breanski managed to portray so magnificently and accurately on his canvases. The setting sun often heralded the end of an enjoyable days walking and the promise of a wee dram of single malt.

So sit back and let yourself get transported away to the mountains…