Monique Sliedrecht Blog

All Posts

2 days ago
3 min

From the Ashes

For the end of February, the day was surprisingly springlike and warm. My friend and I went to do our fortnightly shopping in Thurso and...

Monique Sliedrecht

Feb 20
1 min

My Podcast Launch

I’m glad to announce that my new podcast, Tales from the North, is now available on iTunes, Spotify and all the other usual places where ...

Monique Sliedrecht

Feb 13
5 min

Something New

I lit the fire on getting up this morning, it was so cold. Things are gradually warming up now. I’ve got two sweaters on, and have wrapp...

Monique Sliedrecht

Feb 9
4 min

Sea Swell

Skerry Lighthouses, Skerry Island, Pentland Firth The Pentland Firth in the far north of Scotland is known to be one of the roughest stre...

Monique Sliedrecht

Feb 1
4 min

At Home

It’s a new week and the beginning of a new month. As I sit here and write, I have a clear view out of a large window onto a frosty landsc...

Monique Sliedrecht

Jan 24
3 min

Day Moon

Some snow has finally fallen - enough to satisfy this Canadian-born woman’s heart for now. The distant homes look like house-shaped iglo...

Monique Sliedrecht

Jan 16
4 min

Blow Out

I was travelling to Thurso with a friend (we’re in the same bubble), to pick up a prescription. It was a nice enough day. No wind, no r...

Monique Sliedrecht

Jan 9
2 min

The Sand Truck

A small orange yellow light blinks it’s way along the top road, across the open view of the living room window, distinctly noticeable in ...

Monique Sliedrecht

Jan 3
2 min

Clouds

It’s another crisp morning, clouds are hanging close to the horizon in the 'blue hour' of dawn. I make a coffee and stare out the kitche...

Monique Sliedrecht

Dec 25, 2020
2 min

Early Christmas Morning

'A Winter's Voyage' - Acrylic on Linen, Wood, Found Objects 2020 It’s early morning and still dark out. I decided to get up and sit in t...

Monique Sliedrecht

Dec 13, 2020
3 min

Water and Mist

A lot of rain has fallen this past week. The land is saturated. After a night of high winds and the drumming of raindrops against the w...

Monique Sliedrecht

Dec 6, 2020
4 min

Shoes to Fill

Yesterday, the shops in the Netherlands shut early and some 60% of Dutch people will have settled down to celebrate Sinterklaas, my frien...

Monique Sliedrecht

Nov 29, 2020
4 min

Advent Frost

Yesterday afternoon, at around 3:00, just before sunset, a friend and I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to drive up to the most northe...

Monique Sliedrecht

Nov 22, 2020
4 min

Wind

If ever one needed to clear one’s head, the northeast of Scotland is a good place to come. The wind will clear the cobwebs in no time! T...

Monique Sliedrecht

Nov 10, 2020
5 min

Light

A flat even dawn light met me through the partial opening in the curtains this morning. I could sense the stillness outside. There was no...

Monique Sliedrecht

Oct 27, 2020
5 min

Into the Unknown

Today is the day, almost 20 years ago, that I made my way over to Scotland for the first time. It was a spontaneous trip in many ways, fu...

Monique Sliedrecht

Oct 18, 2020
4 min

Making Space

I’ve been thinking a lot about space lately. Not outer space, though that’s not a bad thing to contemplate, but the continuous area or e...

Monique Sliedrecht

Oct 11, 2020
3 min

Thanksgiving

I just got back from a walk on the beach, caught by a light and misty rainfall. The wetness accentuates the colours of the limpid shells...

Monique Sliedrecht

Oct 3, 2020
3 min

Limitation

This week I decided to let go of the Edinburgh studio. It was a tough decision in many ways, as it is the link to the city and wider grou...

Monique Sliedrecht

Sep 20, 2020
3 min

Quiet Hovering

The last few days have been unusually calm in the north of Scotland - like the north is pausing in stillness. It is the tranquility of th...

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