Tidying up my studio I found a nice surprise; a little oil sketch I painted after the first time I visited the Kingdom of Fife, during my first trip to Scotland. I think it was the year 2000. My friends Michael and Kevin had taken me to Ravenscraig Castle (Kirkcaldy) one cold and limpid afternoon of January. What a wonderful view from the castle across the Forth estuary towards Edinburgh! We walked down the beach and I paused a few times to take mental notes of the view. I put it on paper later and then from those notes I sketched it in oils, back in Argentina.
When I see it now, I remember that tranquil afternoon and the love and generosity of my friends. I remember another special friend, Ann, who invited me to come to Scotland and who is no longer with us. An immense feeling of gratitude and fondness fills my soul. How fortunate I have been! The sketch is simple, and quite fitting really, as it transports me back to that happy moment. I painted a memory, my interpretation of Ravenscraing Castle as one would see it walking towards it from Dysart Harbour. Today the painting re-creates an emotion, a piece of history, my history, which lives within me. Thank you Mike, Kevin and thanks to Ann.
Ravenscraig Castle, Fife (Oil on canvas board 2000-2001)