Arran by David Young Cameron (1865-1945) captures in black and white a coastal viewpoint over the sound to the Isle of Arran, with birds along the edge of the crashing waves and a masted ship on the water. The chaotic pencil lines combined with tighter, straighter lines for shading above the island give the impression of poor weather or even a storm. The patch of lighter lines and possible erasing of the pencil surrounding the ship, whose masts are billowing from the wind, also show that Cameron may have been depicting rain falling on that side of the piece. The thicker and closer linework of the waves combined with empty spaces being the white caps of the waves shows an overly active sea. Through various degrees of detail and shading, Cameron captures the liveliness of stormy weather off of Arran and the Scottish coastline.

Cameron rose to prominence through his etching skills, with this piece representing his strong skills in printmaking through the use of light and dark contrast. Through the 'Etching Revival' spanning 1880-1930, Cameron produced and sold many of his prints through the support of art dealers in Glasgow and Edinburgh, this work being one of the prints that was repeatedly reproduced. This piece differs from Cameron's usual choice to depict 'stillness' in his work, instead presenting a stormy scene of the Isle of Arran, which is a common subject in many of his etchings and paintings. The piece's wilder nature reflects the influences of other landscape work at the time which commonly focused on depicting extreme weather. 

Sir David Young Cameron RA RSA RWS RSW, 1865-1945

Cameron was a man of considerable importance and influence in British art circles in the 1920s and 1930s. His paintings attracted great critical acclaim and were acquired by many public art galleries in Britain and abroad. Sadly, the majority are today hidden in storerooms. Cameron's commitment to art extended well beyond the boundaries of the studio. During the second half of the First World War Cameron served as a war artist for the Canadian Government; he supervised the decoration of St. Stephen's Hall in the Houses of Parliament and of the rebuilt bank of England; he was associated with the British School in Rome for over twenty-five years; he was Trustee of the Tate Gallery and of the National Galleries of Scotland; and in 1933 he was appointed King's Painter and Limner in Scotland, an office previously held by Raeburn and Wilkie. Cameron was a son of the manse who’s deeply held religious faith was an important element throughout his life and imbued much of his work, particularly his landscapes. He devoted considerable time and energy to the Church of Scotland, advising many congregations on the redecoration of the churches.
Born in Glasgow, Cameron probably inherited his artistic ability from his mother, a talented amateur watercolourist, as did his sister, the watercolourist and etcher Katharine Cameron. While working in a Glasgow office he attended classes at Glasgow School of Art, and in 1884 he gave up office work -which he hated - in favour of painting, enrolling at Edinburgh School of Art, where fellow artists included W.M. Frazer and James Pryde.
However, it was as an etcher that Cameron first came to prominence. Like Rembrandt, who was a profound influence, Cameron was a master of light and shade, whether in a landscape, a street scene or one of his atmospheric church interiors. Over a period of some forty-five years he produced about 520 etchings and drypoints, becoming, with fellow Scots Muirhead Bone and James McBey, one of the foremost British etchers of the Etching Revival of 1880-1930.
Today Cameron is remembered as a painter of the Scottish landscape. However, his oevre included figure subjects and portraits, townscapes and architectural subjects as well as landscapes. He travelled widely throughout a long working life. His oils and watercolours show a remarkable ability to convey the character and spirit of a place.