As well as getting the structure sorted, I created concept art for the character of George Colwan, the brother of our anti-hero, Robert Wringhim. This was a difficult character to create because of his relationship with Robert. I needed to make them look enough alike that it would be believable they were brothers, while not so alike as to make them twins, and at the same time, balance the opposing aesthetics of good and evil in their design. 

Of course, when one is hiding out in a castle for a fortnight, one simply must take the time to explore. When I wasn’t huddled in the library among the many volumes of Blackwood’s Magazine, [if you haven’t read that blog post yet, make sure you catch up!] or working away in the portrait gallery on the anatomy of A Justified Sinner, I was exploring the secret passageways and hidden doorways up to the turrets, walking through the beautiful, mist-covered garden, or exploring the folly Fernery designed by the house’s Victorian owners to look like the ruins of an ancient monastery. The cover of my website is actually from the grounds of Hospitalfield, and one of the many photos I took on my exploratory adventures. As I left the walls of the garden to walk across the misty field, I saw at a distance, the statue of a man who looked remarkably like my design of Robert Wringham. Dressed in a long frock coat and wearing a tricorn hat – the very same clothes I’d been drawing my characters in – my excitement turned to appropriate horror when I approached and found he had no face. A very peculiar coincidence when you consider that one of my design concepts of Gil-Martin was just like this. 

When being cooped up in the house became too much, there was nothing better than a quick stroll down to Arbroath Abbey to work in the New Scriptorium. If you’ve been keeping up to date with my socials, you’ll no doubt have seen some pictures taken inside and looking out. It was such a relaxing space to work in, and a breath of fresh air right when it was needed – after all, two weeks is quite a long time to focus on only one thing.

Of course, I can’t write a blog post about my Hospitalfield residency without mentioning the other residents. Ten of us in total, and all working on our own projects ranging from photography to sculpture, to visual artists and writing, there was truly a bit of everything going on behind these castle walls. Although for most of the time we did get down to work, it was wonderful to have the opportunity to share our progress and get to know each other. In a bizarre turn of events, I even found out that one of the residents was a close friend of one of my best friends. Small world! Many an evening was spent together, catching up on our days’ achievements and discussing the exciting progress we had planned for all of our tomorrows. Between late night bonfires and exploring the Mortuary Chapel together, we had a great time, and I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to share my residency with.