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gusts, I began by laying down some
colours and textures onto the canvas
board using brushes, palette knives
and some very cold fingers. I spent
about 90 minutes painting the scene
before me and taking photos, all
the time absorbing the breathtaking
scenery until the weather suddenly
began to deteriorate. As the sun dipped
behind Snowdon I could clearly hear
the wind howling up the valley from
Llanberis, which then began to lift
my easel and the boulder which it was
tied to! I quickly packed up my kit
and scrambled along the Crib Goch
ridge down to the relative refuge of
a col to weigh up my options. As the
mountainside below me wasn’t too
steep I decided to adopt a controlled
slide down to the Pyg Track path
below, and use my ice axe to regulate
my bumpy ride! The pochade box was
bounced and rattled around on my
descent, so you can imagine my surprise
when I eventually reached the path
to see that my box and painting were
miraculously intact.
Back in the studio I took a 3-by-4-foot
canvas and applied three layers of gesso
lightly sanded between coats. My source
materials for this piece were the plein air
study as reference for colour, tone and
light, and my photos for composition
and detail. You can see from the photos,
the colour and light are noticeably
different in the plein air study when
you compare it with the photo taken
from the same ridge. A good example
of how painting studies of your subject
outdoors can provide you with valuable
information and guidance.
The photo I chose to use for the
composition had an interesting mixed
foreground of rocky pinnacles, snow
and grasses. This prospect laid the
foundations for the iconic shape of
Crib Goch Ridge on the left, leading
onto Carnedd Ugain on the right and
finally left to the distinctive summit
of Snowdon. This vista provided me
Devils Kitchen welcomes the Beast from the East, oil on canvas, 60 x 90 cm (23 x 35")
The “Beast from the East” arriving in North Wales back in February 2018. I spent an afternoon painting
a plein air oil sketch from high up on the west face of Pen-Yr-Ole-Wen. Huge snowflakes were mixing
with the oil paint, giving it a thick and sandy consistency. This oil sketch provided me with valuable
information about the subtle changes in colour in this very cold landscape.
Dinas Cromlech, oil on canvas, 41 x 51 cm (16 x 20")
Standing high above the Llanberis Pass, this characteristic “open-book” shaped fortress of rock is
steeped in climbing history. Mist and cloud high above helped me to highlight the unique shape of
Dinas Cromlech.
barré
(Barré)
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