Edinburgh, Dusky Bruntsfield Pin

A favourite spot of Edinburgh, a row of purple-hued tenements hugging the edge of the Meadows, their shape and colour accentuated by the late afternoon sky, filled with pink swirls, clouds of marshmallow, candy floss and Turkish Delight. The sky and trees remind me of the western fringes of Scotland, where the air is scented with brine and seaweed and pine, a place of magic, of Celtic sorcery. As with most corners of Edinburgh there are jolts of memory too, of student parties decades ago, in large drawing room flats, wooden floors bedecked with threadbare imitation Persian rugs, old armchairs in garret windows with tantalizing views. The painting is rich in colour, in splashes of realism and detail, and with elements of texture too. A pe...