From a series of ten studies of this volcanic spur in Edinburgh’s Holyrood Park, painted between 2016-19.
‘A watergaw wi’ its chitterin’ licht ‘ – Hugh MacDiarmid’s famous poem ‘The Watergaw’ captures the profound associations felt on seeing a fleeting rainbow. The two watergaw paintings in the series seem to me to capture visually this depth of emotion expressed in MacDiarmid’s poem.
You can hear Alan Riach reading the poem here. Hear the artist speaking about his Edinburgh Crags / Radical Road series here. Click on Videos tab for more.
