The finished painting - a journey not without its challenges. First there was the major disaster. I had difficulties with the grassy knoll and not least the sky. Having achieved a lovely blend, I then spilt paint drops on it - and was unable to match the blues (always notoriously difficult). So I had to get round it by painting in a cloud and the hind of cloud behind and just above the 'No Parkig' sign. Overall though I'm happy. It is a simple painting and all the more effective for that - but  I think it is the light that really makes it work, and I was delighted when I achieved the right effect. I did this by painting heavy white markings on the tree trunks and then overpainting them with a very thin wash of golden ocre. This gave me the luminosity I was seeking.

So - six weeks off now, while I attend to other things.

Have survived the disastrous start, I have made good progress in the last couple of days, finishing the left hand stand of trees and gates. I'm delighted to have achieved the luminosity to which I aspired.My only concern is that the apex of the pathway is almost dead centre of the board (it is actually slightly left of centre) and there is not a great deal I can do about it now. Makiny it wider at the apex would not help, so i have made it narrower at the apex and broader on the right hand side at the bottom - which doesn't alter the actual position, but does 'suggest' that the path is slightly off centre. It may not matter, anyway, because the weight of the left hand trees will 'pull' the path to the left. The right hand side of the picture will be a hedgrow rising to the same height as the right hand gate, with a smaller, more distant stand of trees above it, against the right hand edge of the painting. SO it should be okay. And that's what painting is all about - solving problems!

Began work on this painting on February 3rd and was making good progress when disaster struck. I had laid down some Friskfilm to protect the sky from accidental blobs of paint or ink spots -- and when I tried to remove it, it turned out to be far more adhesive than usual -- and ripped off various parts of the sky, which had taken me a day and a half to paint (see below). It meant that the entire sky would have to be repainted. The problem was that the white patches were actually holes in the paint surface - and it is almost impossible to 'fill' them so that they are level with the original paint surface. 

I decided the only thing I could do was to sandpaper the board down to the third coat of gesso and repaint the sky - and with luck, I would be able to match the various shades of blue to the left of the picture. It didn't quite work out as I expected. What a calamity! (see below) Ouch!

What now? Could the painting now be saved - that was the question. I determined I would sand the board right down except for the trees that I had already painted. Then I re-gessoed the board with three coats. This left a vertical ridge where the gesso met the original part of the painting, but I figured that if I could paint a tree trunk along it, the ridge would all but disappear. That was the hope, anyway.

Repainting the sky was a nightmare - I just could not get the same blues (it is always incredibly difficult to match blues) but eventually I managed to get close enough. I then resumed painting and since then have made good progress, gradually pushing the trees 'eastwards' whilst at the same time covering the ridge. Now, you can't see it even if you look for it and know where to look. So perseverence paid off. The painting is saved! (see below)

Acrylic, pen and acrylic ink on 16 x 20 inch (41 x 51 cm) box canvas. Depicts the essence of the Yorkshire Dales in England, although the mill, the river, some of the houses, the stone wall, path and poppies do not exist - at least in this location.  Commissioned and SOLD.

I have been commissioned to paint a surprise picture for a client, so will not be posting progress reports for the time being.

Finally, the foliage is painted. Strange how people so often think poppies are always red. I had a few challenges in this painting but the end result is a happy one, I think. Check out my galleries on this website for prices and details.

Continued with the leafage, grasses and poppy heads, and  painted fairly well to begin with but then ran into difficulties because I want to change the vibrancy of the green, but achieving the right green proved a bit of a nightmare.Decided to stick with the Ultramarine-Cadmium Yellow Medium mix for my greens.  Continued with the undergrowth.I am still having great difficulty with the foliage, however. Poppy leaves cannot be defined with ‘veins’ as with other leaves, so they tend to look rather bland.  They do seem to have a lighter rim, though—and whilst I have achieved this, they somehow look stylised. Painting is certainly a never ending voyage of discovery and often a steep learning curve!

This morning my first task was to try and correct the colour of the poppy leaves and in this, I was  largely successful. At any rate, the green is much more satisfactory and the painting is enhanced as a result. It just looks more convincing than before.The mix, incidentally, is Phthalo  Blue (Red shade), Cadmium Yellow Medium with a dab of white for the lighter colours.Had a good painting session and gradually improved the vegetation to my satisfaction not least by adding a few very fine lines and dots to give it texture and more definition. So finally, it is working well.

Finally finished the large boulder at the left, a long and tedious task because of the fine detail. The big issue for me was whether I could paint poppies successfully so it was with some trepidation that I tackled them - but I needn'e have worried, they turned out fine. In fact, the foliage presented more problems. I had some difficulty with the yellow poppy because darkening a Cadmium Yellow (for the shady bits) all too easily can become muddy. I got round the problem by using Azo Yellow Medium with a dash of Perylene Red for the darker areas. So it is going well although the painting has now taken nearly two weeks - and I am still only about half way through with some corrections still to make - principally the mosses on the rocks immediately above the poppies. It is not convincing, so I will take the moss patches out. Overall, though, I'm happy with the way things are going.

Painted - then repainted - the central rock in order to ‘soften’ it and give it a sandstone look rather than one of granite. Had a really good session of painting—next painting in the right hand rock , which after some experiment, gave me the key as to how best to paint the larger rocks - a fairly daunting prospect. So far so good, though. I first dabbed in some dark ‘blobs’  then lighter ones, and finally some with a tinge of pink in them.That provided the base for the fine detail, which comprises thousands of tiny dots—both dark and white.

The result has proved very satisfactory and I am now beginning to feel very excited about this picture.Yesterday, I began to tackle the dominant rock on the left of the picture, this time reversing the colouring. I laid down a pinkish ground, then covered it with white blobs, and am now adding blobs which are a mix of burnt sienna, white, ultramarine  and a hint of Perylene Red. This is designed to enhance the sandstone effect and give the rock some shape. Again, this, when finished, will provide the base for the fine detail which hopefully will replicate a truly realistic look. As always, the high horizon results automatically in lots of close detail towards the bottom of the painting - and that in turn gives much greater depth.

 The 'earth' and stones in the centre of the painting will mostly be covered up with poppy leaves - and the poppies themselves, when painted, will bring the entire picture to life. I hope!!!

Painted the reeds in one two-hour session sometimes using a Japanese brush, occasionally a rigger but mostly using a Sceptre II (202) brush. I applied the finer grasses with a pen and acrylic ink. My only concern is that the painting is a tad dull t the moment but hopefully the poppies, when I paint them, will brighten up the picture. They wiull after all be dominent, being in the mid-foreground. Overall, I am happy with the result -  though I need to do something about the two reeds reaching up to the reflection of the centre tree; they look like a rather unfortunate 'V' sign at the moment, which is not the intention. One more reed crossing them should solve the problem. Watch this space....!

Had a good session of painting today and now feel as if I am 'getting into' the picture. I love painting reflections in water! This will be another 16:9 format vertical painting and with the high horizon, that automatically means a highly detailed mid and foreground. This will be highlighted with a group of poppies -- the reds playing off the greens. Although I have lightened up this section of the painting, I actually want it to be a little 'dull' in order to enhance the brightness of the poppies.  

This is the beginning of a new picture entitled "Poppies in Tromso" (Norway). After a two month rest from painting, it felt strange to have a brush in my hand again - but this isn't a bad beginning, although it needs lightening up a little. A long way to go yet, though!

Will be taking a short rest from painting - need to refresh for a couple of weeks.

Originally I was going to paint the two lowest rocks right down to the bottom border of the painting but decided to paint in the sea instead. This gives the picture a solid base and adds some drama - whilst also offering an unusual view of waves breaking on rocks - i.e. as seen from the sea rather than from the land. Im really happy with this picture. It has a good, happy feeling to it despite the odd imperfections.

I am now in the finishing stages of the painting. Made a right mess of the lower grasses and weeds  but managed to resurrect it and ended up with a reasonable result, although Ithink the harebells are still too large. Maybe tomorrow I will repaint the Red Campion and make them larger in order to compensate. This would make them more prominent and again give more depth.  Am more convinced than ever that painting in the lower rocks and the sea was a good decision. My final dilemma is whether or not to paint in a seagull on the lower-left Golden Mean, a third of the way ifrom the left hand border and just at the bottom of the green weeds. It would, of course, possibly detract from the nesting tern - so I am not sure. In a sense it is a little too obvious - and when in doubt one should preferably leave out. We'll see!

August 18 - Decided not to paint the seagull. I also reduced the number of Red Campion flowers at top right of picture, above the nesting tern, which I made slightly bigger. Next, I reduced the size of the harebells and enlarged the size of the foreground Red Campion flowers. I then painted in the fine detail of the left hand rock at sea level and lightened it up considerably where the sun would strike it.

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• Path to Park Farm - The finished painting.
• Path to Park Farm - February 11, 2012 update
• New Painting - Path to Park Farm
• The Dales
• Commissioned for surprise painting
• Poppies in Tromso - The Finished Painting
• "Poppies in Tromso" - November 15 update
• "Poppies in Tromso" - November 13, 2011 update
• "Poppies in Tromso" - November 10, 2011 update
• Poppies in Tromso - November 7, 2011 update

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