The Great Outdoors – July 2019

LOOKING AT THIS PIECE, it’s no surprise that Orkney’s elusive otter population

is a source of inspiration for Anne Bignall’s work. “This otter is a young male and

was present over many morning,” the artist recalls. “I spent some time watching,

sketching and photographing him. He was at rest between fishing sprints, and

you can see the hills on Hoy behind him.”

With an abundance of wildlife at her doorstep, Anne makes the most of living

in the far north. “I spend most of my time on the coast, often on rocky shores

where I’m most likely to see otters, and sometimes I’ll snorkel in the shallow

water to explore the underwater world. For much of the year, otters are most

likely seen around sunrise and sunset, so my time on the coast is often dictated by

this – in summer I can be up and out as early as 4:30am.”

“The ever-changing colour of the hills and the wildlife drawn to the area make

this a location that could be painted 1,000 times. But it took some time to get

this composition right to avoid the detail in the foreground distracting from the

otter.” See more of Anne’s work at annebignall.com

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Outgoing

tide

Anne Bignall

Oil on canvas

120cm x 75cm

ALMANAC

in the hills

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10 The Great Outdoors July 2019