The Black Cuillin

My Inspiration for This Painting

The Black Cuillin on the Isle of Skye has always held a certain fascination for me. Their dark, jagged presence rising straight from the sea creates one of the most dramatic and untamed landscapes in Scotland. I visited Skye with my wife some years ago and saw the Cuillin first-hand – towering, shadowed and raw. That memory stayed with me, and I knew it was a subject I wanted to paint.

The opportunity came when I attended a talk by a pilot from Scotland’s Air Ambulance Service. He’s also an amateur photographer and had captured a striking aerial view of the central Cuillin during a flight in late winter. He kindly allowed me to use his images as reference, which, combined with my own recollections, became the basis for this watercolour.

Painting from Above – A Rare Perspective

What makes this painting unique is the aerial perspective – a view that most of us will never experience in person. Looking down from above, you get a real sense of the structure of the landscape: narrow ridges, steep drops, and the sculptural forms shaped over millions of years.

Initially, I considered painting the Cuillin in full winter, but quickly realised that solid snowfields lacked interest. It was the transition from winter to spring — when snow begins to retreat and the shapes of the mountains reappear — that offered the most striking visual contrast. It allowed me to highlight the ridgelines, glens and sharp folds of the terrain.

The Process and Techniques

I began with a detailed pencil drawing to capture the layout as accurately as possible. I know that many hillwalkers and climbers are familiar with these peaks, so it was important to me that they could recognise specific summits.

To create the snowfields, I left the white of the paper untouched and worked shadows in with layered washes of blue and Paynes Grey. In some areas, I needed multiple washes to achieve the depth I wanted. I used dry brush techniques to define gullies, rock faces and melting edges of snow, mixing in Mid Ochre Hue and browns to mark the ground beginning to reappear as spring set in. After drying, I applied undiluted Titanium White in select places to bring back highlights and texture.

In the far distance, the blue-grey silhouettes of surrounding hills and islands remind us that the Cuillin sit between sea and sky – isolated and dramatic.

A Tribute to a Unique Scottish Landscape

This painting was completed in October and remains one of my most ambitious pieces to date. It’s a tribute not only to the landscape of Skye, but also to those who walk, climb or simply admire the Cuillin from afar. I hope it brings back memories for those who’ve visited this incredible place, and perhaps inspires others to experience its wild beauty for themselves.