Littondale

I have had a 20" x 8" box canvas kicking around the attic for some time, so last week I decided to make some use out of it. The view is along the road from Stainforth to Halton Gill, and after some to-ing and fro-ing in the car like a fat lady getting comfortable on a chair I pointed the boot of the car in the right direction.
What grabbed me about the view is the feeling of distance in this little-visited part of the dales. Most visitors tend to end their trip up Littondale at Arncliffe and then head off to Malham, which is a shame, as one of the best pubs in the county is found at Litton, the Queens Arms is a great place for sunday lunch following a walk around the river, it also offers B&B accomodation. This is the view from the top road looking southeast down the valley.

Initially the scene was painted in some rather old acrylics I have kicking around the studio, and rather wish I hadn't, although the skies look leaden the day was rather warm and the paints dried instantly on the canvas which made blending nigh-on impossible. Also you can probably guess I painted the sky first (when the day was a bit duller) and the hills later on, as the sky cleared somewhat, still the result is rather pleasing.