Sadly, this year's travel plans have been supplanted with overdue home projects, including the hanging and cataloging of my personal collection of paintings and other artwork. So this summer, in lieu of an overseas getaway, I could only gaze wistfully at framed pictures as I hung them—many of them reminding me of my favorite travel destinations (and vacations gone by). Let me share a few of them with you. Alas, this shall be the extent of my romantic journeys for Summer 2020. On the whole, I have little to complain of. In the meantime, I'll enjoy a few more "little journeys,' gazing at my pictures of my favorite places.
On one of my first trips to Glasgow, I purchased this oil painting—a clouded hill punctuating an otherwise flattened Scottish landscape. I liked its simplicity, its comforting color palette, and its beautifully dour mood. I also loved the simplicity of brushstroke—the hand of an artist who captured his subject with economy and spontaneity. Clouds, mud, bramble, mountain; the artist executed his work quickly and deliberately.
The painter is Robert Buchan Nisbet. He was born in Edinburgh and lived on George Street (coincidentally, the street where this picture was framed). His father was a housepainter. He was a founding member of the Scottish Society of Artists and its second president. His older brother, Pollock Sinclair Nisbet, was also a painter.
I long for a nice, long return trip to Scotland. Next time I'll hire a car and hunt for this elusive mountain. Until then, I'm content to gaze at the painting—which I like more and more the longer I look at it.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
We also can be found in Pittsburgh's historic "Strip District" at Mahla & Co. Antiques (www.mahlaantiques.com) or in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania at The Antique Center of Strabane (www.antiquecenterofstrabane.com).
Or call to arrange to visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only). 917-446-4248