Castle Howard - late afternoon in October.

Plein air oil on canvas 12 x 10 inches
Original now available £150.
Greetings card available

Did not plan this visit so this is a quick painting from near the courtyard entrance. To RH, I will call soon. Today the weather was clear when we set off though drizzle greeted us at Castle Howard. A fine precipitation fell, thoroughly wetting people to the extent that the Fitzroy cafe was full when we visited. Never seen all the tables occupied before forcing us to adjourn to the nearby shop. However, after a few minutes, we were seated and having lunch. We walked down the grassy bank to the lake passing dozens of loud, honking Canada geese. As we walked by, some would take off and arrow towards the lake, excitedly, some would flip over on their backs and dive up and down in a jerky fashion, before noisily alighting on the pond to join a cantankerous assembly. The lake offered some interesting reflections of yellowing sycamore leaves yet not enough for a composition. So we set off back to the car to walk George again. The weather improved, blue sky appeared and so we set off to attempt a quick painting. We saw this and got on quickly. I liked the vivid colour of the tree on the left and that the house could be seen in front. As we painted we chatted to some people, who had not heard of Wetwang!! Anyway I digress, we had a lovely little chat and then it started to drizzle again forcing a quick pack up and to seek shelter from nearby trees.


Happy Painting.