CRAIL IN MORNING LIGHT... (My new poem inspired by Louise McIntosh's bright painting of Crail, Fife, Scotland...)

 Morning Sky Over Crail…

(Inspired by a memorable Louise McIntosh painting…)

A furious red sunrise burns cloud into sinister chunks of dark coal

Over Crail’s patchwork street, a cobbled mosaic, a veritable

Kaleidoscopic effect, as the morning reflects from the quay’s hewn stones…

Erect chimneys and slim roofs, tightly packed, proudly taut and noble

Offer clues as to the narrowness of the village, quirky yet somehow secure.

One small boat lies in wait for its skipper, a crabber perhaps, which shies

And lists away from the nearby tide, which hustles white with its indignation

Beneath the drama and backcloth of the violent morning skies…  

Pete Ray…

3rd March 2026…

Crail, on the coast of East Neuk, Fife, beautifully presented by the artist…

The thoughts of the independent source, The Sand Martin...

‘The old saying of 'red sky in the morning, shepherd’s warning...' may foretell of stormy rough seas later in the day when this super bright and stunning morning might take a very nasty turn!

For now though it is brilliantly lit up in glorious and vividly painted colours that are almost technicolour. Each house and building is accurately depicted in black or dark tones, like line drawings that have been coloured in with shades of red and orange predominating and giving the thought that it is indeed a very hot day already.

The perspective indicates a very steep slope up from the beach further into the village and then higher up almost to the top of the painting. All the homes and buildings are terraced as they push up the hill from the beach area where one boat awaits an outing.

The different colours of each roof are intriguing as are the cross sections at the stepped edges on some rooftops. Even the greenery is vivid with some depicted in a garden area having grid type patterns to give texture. 

Flowering shrubs too in pink-orange shade have the same grid type of texture. The main street looks almost paved with gold as the yellow, orange, cerise and green hues lead up the hill.

This stunning picture is perfectly balanced by the yellowy cream features of some doors, windows and walls that give both relief from the intense colours but at the same time also accentuate them and thus the glorious nature of this wonderful painting.’