Sgurr nan Gillean from Am Basteir, Isle Of Skye by Peter Symonds

Medium: Oil
Dimensions: 20 x 30 cm (8 x 12 in)

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About the Artist
Peter Symonds is a leading UK landscape artist specialising in painting mountain and coastal subjects, both in Britain and abroad.

Peter was born in 1964 and started painting professionally following his graduation from Leicester University.

Working exclusively in oils on canvas, he is most closely identified with scenes of the Scottish Highlands and Islands, as well as the English Lake District. He is a keen traveller, and his desire to paint wild, remote places has taken him to some of the most beautiful parts of the world. However, he is quick to admit that no location holds the same attraction as the stunning Scottish landscape that he so loves to paint. In his quest to find new subjects, he is never happier than when, with a laden rucksack, he heads out into the hills.



Sgurr nan Gillean from Am Basteir, Isle of Skye

For many years Peter has gazed longingly up at the Cuillin, but due to his mountaineering inexperience, Peter's wife Vanessa forbade him, up until now, to venture onto their tops. With precipitous drops and loose rock, these jagged hills are a mountaineer’s playground. Harsh terrain with difficult route-finding and very fickle weather also makes the Cuillin a dangerous place for the novice to visit.

Recently, as part of softening the blow of turning 50, Peter and a friend set out for a couple of days with an experienced guide to help them get on to some of the tops, including the hardest of them, the wonderfully named “Inaccessible Pinnacle”. A leading member of the local Mountain Rescue Unit, Tony did a great job in getting them to their destinations safely. After one long day, having just returned to the walkers bar in the Sligachan Hotel, Tony was immediately called back to take part in a dangerous evening rescue that went on until the early hours of the following morning. They were incredibly impressed by his dedication, let alone his fitness, but the numerous call-outs that are made each year testify to the danger these mountains present.