Little Ross bitter art
The photo shows a peaceful evening view looking out towards the island of Little Ross, with its appropriately conspicuous lighthouse, from Torrs Point, which is some four miles south of Kirkcudbright, the one time county town. The calm sea together with distant visibility - the Isle of Man can be seen on the left horizon - gives the whole an air of tranquillity. But what happens when you see the name of the island? To most people now it has no special meaning, but in 1960 it was the scene of a notable murder. One keeper killing the other. The image, of course, holds no clues to that connection. But once it is known it is hard to shake off. Similarly Ho Huai-shuo thinks of the way ‘tragedy’ infuses his works. There is nothing in his art which makes us particularly uneasy, but once connections are formed, maybe through a motif, an anomaly, or a title, they stick, limpet like, to our perception of the image. How much bitterness is in hiding in the gentle art we cherish?
bitterness - Ho Huai-shuo claims he deals in Bitter Art, he is introduced in the Mosaic section of this site under that heading.
The path from the public road south of Mutehill, as it swings away from the water, takes the walker past the Lifeboat Station and through the Long Robin Woods, at the end of which the views over Kircudbright Bay include the sweep of the Irish Sea shown above.
The photograph was taken on a Canon PowerShot G5 X on 20/1/2022 at 3.30 pm. 1/1250th at f/5.6; ISO rated at 125. Focal length equivalent to 68 mm on a 35 lens.
Saturday 12th September 2026
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