Inspiration – the landscape paintings of David Hockney and the scenery of the Applecross peninsula in NW Scotland.

For my 5th quilt in this series I have chosen a very dramatic landscape from the Applecross peninsula.

This is the Bealach na Ba (Pass of the Cattle), the road that we drive up every year when we visit our lovely holiday destination. It’s a single track road through a pass over the hills, has gradients up to 20% and reaches just over 2000 feet (about 625 metres). The views from the entire road are spectacular with the Inner Hebrides islands forming a grand panorama from the top, on a clear day of course. This quilt shows the view looking South from the top of the pass. The road in the opposite direction is less dramatic but still beautiful.

To create the design for this quilt I have joined the images from 2 photographs, one is my own taken from the road on the highest of the hairpin bends. The other is an aerial view of the highest section of the pass taken by a drone camera. These 2 together show the high, twisty section of the road from the peak down to where it “disappears” over the hillside to head further South down the rear of the hill on the left.

I have brightened the colours in the landscape to give the Hockney look to the piece.

All fabrics are cotton, the road and river are painted Evolon and all quilting and details are in rayon threads.