Bog Myrtle & Peat

Just wanted to include this brilliant screenprint of a blackcock on the Chayne by Colin Blanchard, formerly of Newtonrigg College, now a man of leisure based over in the distant reaches of Dumfriesshire. Colin has been up to the Chayne a few times over the past couple of years, although the fact that I’ve never been able to show him a black grouse in any shape or form probably makes him think that I’ve lost the plot.

Colin has done a whole range of screenprints, many of which have a sporting theme – there’s a whole load more information on his website at colinblanchard.com, including this print, which, by virtue of its subject matter, is by far my favourite. It’s particularly pleasing because, although the background is fairly ambiguous, it’s based on a view from a spot which I call the gallows, looking south. The shape of the hills and the windbreak in the background is all I need, and my brain fills in the rest.