There’s something about Edinburgh…
- Chloe Fenech
- Nov 13, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Feb 2
Artists always foster relationships with landscapes that they love. Van Gogh in Arles, Monet in Giverny, John Constable in Suffolk. Now it feels as though Edinburgh is becoming that place for me. A place I keep returning to, that lingers on in my notebooks and sketchbooks.
But just as Monet painted his gardens or his haystacks in different conditions, so Edinburgh means something different to me every time I go.
The first time I arrived in this majestic, gothic city I was greeted by the characteristic grey skies, stunning cherry blossoms and that crisp, fresh spring air that stings your eyes just for a second, like diving into cold water. Instantly invigorating.
It was early 2023, and I was in something of a painting drought. I didn’t know what direction I was headed in, and was still painting a lot of cosmic and wildlife scenes, but unsure what was next and where my art was headed. I had planned to take a solo painting trip back in 2020, back then equally lost and indecisive, but covid and the birth of my son curtailed those plans.
So when the time felt right, I booked my trip to Edinburgh carrying little more than a sketchbook and a warm jacket. I was excited to travel on my own for the first time, and to have a week dedicated to exploring a new city and hopefully some new painting projects.
I almost didn’t go.
I’ll avoid the details, but less than 48 hours before I was due to fly, I had a health scare which luckily was the best outcome of a potentially bad situation. Still reeling, I nearly cancelled. But my husband convinced me that this made it all the more important that I go.
The beauty of Edinburgh
I don’t know whether it was the beauty of the city itself, with its contrasting charcoal grey stone, rich green gardens and patchwork of facades, or the situation I found myself in, but I was instantly in love.
There’s a certain way the light hits the volcanic rock when the sun breaks through its heavy veil of cloud.
The way the streets shimmer in the morning mist.
The looming castle, ever present in the corner of your eye. Threatening up close, comforting from afar when viewed through across from the Waterstones cafe, my regular haunt.
I was amazed that even in the middle of a bustling city, there was plenty of space, greenery and natural beauty. Set against the stone, the greens and oranges glowed and constrasted. The Princes Gardens that stretched under the castle offered tranquility, views and a break from the bustle of the high street and the twinkling tram bells. But take away any one of these things, I think the magic of the city would be lost.
Painting the Highlands
It was here in Edinburgh and exploring the highlands that I discovered my love of landscape painting. Before, the landscape had always served as a background to my other subjects, but rarely did I paint landscape alone, for its own sake. But here in the Scottish landscape, I found the sublime beauty that suited me.
Back home, I started painting every day, and produced countless sketches and drawings of Scotland as well as a complete collection of Scottish landscapes, able to translate some of that sense of place onto canvas for the first time in years. I felt like it fit me, and I could paint beautiful places simply as they were, as I experienced them.
There and back again
Then two years later I was drawn back to this city, this time in the last clutches of autumn, and once again at a pretty pivotal point in time as our family decides where it wants to live and tries our best to make it happen. And perhaps Edinburgh could be the one, it’s a city that made me think I could live in a city after all.
And once again I found myself between worlds, between sketchbooks and half-conceived ideas and the general confusion and frustration I get when I’m not painting exactly what I want. But the city was instantly grounding and inspiring. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t out every day with my sketchbook or conceiving my next masterpiece, just browsing the wonders of the National Gallery or climbing the castle steps was enough to convince me.
What is it about this city that keeps me coming back? I’ve never been one to believe that everything happens for a reason, but I’d like to believe Edinburgh and Scotland did, and that the reason will become clear. Whether it’s just the next step in my painting journey, or a big move for us as a family remains to be seen. But once again I left a little piece of my heart behind in Scotland, and hope to be reunited with it again soon.
Chloe
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