6th August 2020.
I wanted to visit Thixendale Gritts again and
explore a little. In a paddock a whitish pony and a larger, fine
boned horse were nibbling away. They gave me a quick stare and resumed eating deciding I
was of no importance. Looking past them I could see
West Dale and possibly the nearer, partly hidden, Cow Dale. I decided it
may look better in the Autumn and left it for another time.So, I took
George for a walk along the quiet, single track road towards Thixendale,
where once again I saw beautiful colonies of scabious, cranesbill
and glorious knapweed . Bees were particularly interested in the
knapweed roving over the flower heads looking as if they had lost
something and were searching for it. On a scabious a pristine,
red admiral had it's wings laid flat, looking
magnificent. The visibility this morning suffers from a misty haze,
removing colour and distinction. Walking along the
narrow road I am surrounded by tall hawthorn hedges which hide the
fields. Occasionally however, there is a break, either for a gate or
simply a fixed fence repairing a hole in the hawthorn. I find a gap and
am pleased to see Fairy Dale in the distance, a patchwork of sloping
fields, linear lines, as well as the chalky upper face
of the old quarry in Fairy Dale. Also, I later find out after consulting a map, the wooded area below left of the quarry is William Dale near to the Burdale junction. I also realise Whay Dale can be seen to the right.This has possibilities and I note the
spot. I check the narrow verge and trample down some tall grass looking
for hidden hazards. All seems fine, there will be just enough room to
safely pull the car off the road. I set up and begin painting. Behind
me, a large tracked, tractor is harrowing the field. It diligently maps
out the field with the aid of a satellite, backwards and forwards,
efficiently covering every square inch. A red kite suddenly appears from
behind the hedge, very close, very low, and looking huge, I can see every
detail before it drifts away. The tractor sounds get louder and then
suddenly stop. The driver emerges from his high cab and looks down at me over the hedge. We chat pleasantly
about many issues, the barley belts around fields of wheat, the weather and less predictably, poetry. On the road an elderly man in a
mobile scooter appears having improbably climbed to steep, narrow road
from Thixendale. I assumed he was on his way to Gritts farm but he
surprised me by saying he was on his way to Fridaythorpe to do some
shopping. He was pleased to tell me that he was accompanied by a
pheasant, or was it a partridge, or was it a hare, in any case he smiled
and told me it kept up with him at a steady 8mph. A few minutes later two people
with dogs came walking up. We instantly recognized each other from a
couple of days before and laughed. The painting was proving challenging
and took some time to lay out.
Then OUCH, I looked down at my leg where I saw a huge spider, I quickly brushed it off. It stung a lot and so I applied some cream and began searching for my over trousers. I was hopping into them when the dog walkers returned. A young woman walked past with a loose brown labrador and so I closed the tailgate preventing any confrontation, then realised I must have looked strange with my over trousers on tucked into my ankle socks on this very warm day. The lighting was improving, and occasionally the sun lit up the fields.
I continued painting, checking, adjusting and modifying when I noticed a partly hidden house on the right. It was one of the Paradise Cottages. I had painted previously from opposite the lane that lead to the cottages.
OUCH
Standing in deep lush grass,
On hidden hazards,
I drift into the landscape,
Floating over Dales, until
OUCH,
A huge spider bites
Waking me up.
24 x 18 inch,
oil on deep canvas frame
£300 available soon. |
| Starting |
 |
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| adding colour |
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| developing |
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