IBPaterson

A living experiment in stepping off the treadmill. Exploring human nature, outdoor spaces, and what feeds the soul through creative exploration. 🌊🎨

14/07/2026

13th July. Lang Craigs. Scottish Woodland Trust.

08/07/2026

3 July 2026 | East Neuk of Fife

If my posts sound like they were written by a robot, it’s because they have been. I’ve always found writing laborious, so I hand it over to AI. However, when I read back my posts, I think, lighten up, woman!

Trying again to write in a diary style and document my creative process.....

I went back to the same stretch of coastline the following day. It felt like a completely different place.

The sun had disappeared behind a blanket of cloud. It was cooler, the colours were quieter, and the grasses and wildflowers moved differently in the wind.

One thing I'm learning from this project is that going back matters. The landscape doesn't change very much, but the wind never repeats itself. Neither does the light.
I came home once again with hundreds of photographs. Most are simply a record of the day. Sometimes the magic is there, and the combination of light and motion draws marks in the air; sometimes the light is flat, and the lens is blind to the motion.

07/07/2026

2 July 2026 | East Neuk of Fife

The first week of July brought stronger winds than are typical for the season. A west-southwesterly wind reached around 22 mph, almost twice the average July wind speed for Fife.

It was exactly the kind of day I hope for.

The light was bright and clear, making the movement of the landscape easier to read. The verges were full of summer wildflowers: clover, willowherb, ground-elder, hemlock, buttercups, thistles and daisies. Each species responded to the wind in its own way. Some bent easily, while others resisted before giving way. Together they revealed the changing strength and direction of the air.

When reviewing my photos later, I realised I'd been relying on my usual camera settings, and I hadn't taken into account the increased wind speed. The result was numerous shots of colour blurs. They had to go in the bin.

The best part of the day was sharing it with my niece, who had just finished university. It was a good way to celebrate the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.

29/06/2026

Knightswood Park, Glasgow. June.

This June has been a good reminder that Glasgow's prevailing south westerly airflow is rarely steady. Atlantic weather systems keep the wind in motion, changing its strength and character throughout the day.

The wind was gentle for most of the day, but every so often stronger gusts moved through the park. You could see them arriving before you felt them: branches shifting, leaves turning and long grasses changing direction.

For this project, those changes matter. A brief gust can reveal the shape of the wind far more clearly than a constant breeze. It leaves a visible trace across the landscape before disappearing again.

Those fleeting moments are what I'm trying to understand and, ultimately, to paint. I still haven't figured out how to do that justice.

27/06/2026

A midsummer sea breeze along the Carradale coast.

Looking across to the Isle of Arran, the wind was travelling steadily along the shoreline. Not dramatic enough to command attention, but strong enough to leave its mark on the sea surface, the grasses and the shifting patterns of light.

When I work on Painting the Wind, I'm not looking for spectacular weather. I'm interested in evidence. Small clues that reveal what the air is doing and how the landscape responds.

That means taking far more photographs than I will ever use. Most are rejected. Only a small number contain the combination of movement, structure and light that I'm searching for.

The challenge isn't finding the wind. It's recognising those rare moments when its effects become visible enough to study and paint.

25/06/2026

Three months have passed since I last posted about Painting the Wind.

I've been immersed in a different project: tracking the creative process and trying to understand what happens between a first spark of interest and a finished piece of work.

But I haven't stopped looking for the wind.

Back in March, near Helensburgh, a Force 3 to 4 wind was blowing up Gareloch. The light was low, the clouds were dense, and the landscape seemed to be constantly changing. I spent the afternoon watching how the wind shaped the water, the trees and the movement of the clouds.

I take a lot of photographs. Most don't lead anywhere. If I'm honest, perhaps 93% are failures and only 7% contain something worth pursuing.

But every so often, the wind, the light and the landscape align for a brief moment. Those are the photographs I return to. Those are the ones that eventually find their way into a painting.

12/03/2026

Climbing Neelkanth Mahadev

Barefoot, fenced in, and guided by a young, charming guru.

Shree Neelkanth Mahadev Temple clings to the mountainside. Shiva’s mythological story—poison and salvation—is etched into every stone. Visiting the temple on an auspicious day was a popular choice, and the taxi return journey took longer than the walk up.
Colour and devotion everywhere.

Gmraduation day at the ashram: certificates, saris, Bollywood dancing, much joy and some sorrow to say farewell to new friends as we scatter around the globe.

11/03/2026

Shiva’s Rishikesh

The Ganges winds through Rishikesh. Shiva watches silently.
Parmarth Niketan Ashram glimmers with ritual and reflection. Here, spiritual stories are lived daily, not just told.

Order from seeming chaos. Somehow it just works.

10/03/2026

Flow Over Schedule

I planned to post in order, but India has its own rhythm. Flow wins.
From a cup of masala chai and paneer paratha to capturing motion in abstract photography, I’m collecting sparks that will become future paintings.

The Ganges descends as a goddess, purifying everything she touches—heaven, earth, and the depths below. Motion, breath, water—everything connected.

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