The Lake District

The Teessdale Gallery

The Lake District

The "Classics" Series

Haystacks.

Haystacks is not the highest fell in this region in fact at 1900' it is surrounded by a fair number of loftier hills. The fact that it is within the capabilities of reasonably fit and well-prepared walkers means that Haystacks is a very popular summit. It boasts crags and tarns and exceptional views which entice the walker to linger and explore.

I had been on a long round on the north-western fells when, driving home alongside Buttermere I was struck by the scene and the evening light. The late afternoon winter sun was striking the crags on Haystacks as well as illuminating the pine trees on the lake side. I was able to quickly take a few photographs before the sun set. The snow in the high gullies added to the relief of the fell. It will not be and easy task to paint this scene in watercolour but hopefully the final painting will capture some of the atmosphere of this day.

The afternoon light was not only adding relief to the summit crags but also was illuminating the tops of the trees in the foreground. A minute later and it was gone.

Here are the initial sketches for the final composition.

I am continuing to work on this painting idea and progress will be added to this page on a regular basis.

Notes on the "Classics" series. All paintings will be produced in watercolour and will measure approximately 405mm high by 508mm wide. It is my intention to produce a high quality (giclee) print from each image in this set but only to an edition of 75 and to the exact size of the original. The images will not be available in any other format. If you are interested in any of these images then please do contact me via the link at the top of this page.

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