Ronnie & Reggie - Inglebro

Sometimes inspiration nudges you in strange ways. I have had this photo of Ingleborough for some time, not knowing what to do or how to proceed with it, the composition is lacking, the tones don't work - but for a basis of a painting I think it has something, but it needs a little more. So I used the photo for a watercolour sketch to play around with different 'moods', the watercolour sketch, although quite muddy made up my mind about how to proceed.

'Inspirational' photo

Rather messy compositional w/c with notes and sheep

Following sketching out the main components (incorrectly I may add), the entire painting was blocked in using my most favourite acrylics to define the tones and final colours... at this point (unlike most times) I paused, and left the painting on the easel for a couple of days while figuring out what to do next as the acrylic dried darker, gaudier, and more primitive than I envisaged (or planned).

The fun was to start with the oils, they allowed me to change the composition - rectifying where I had fouled up with the original pre-acrylic sketch  -you might see this in the sky above the left hand side of the hill - the original skyline was much higher which in retrospect didn't look right so was altered during the oiling in stage (actually half-way through!)

The sheep, I have christened Ronnie and Reggie have a passing similarity to their more infamous alter-egos in my warped subconscious - hence the title.

Ronnie and Reggie - Inglebro Oil on Board 12" x 10"

Smearsett Sheep

Oops, missed this one out. Fortunately for me this one sold, and I felt it necessary to include this into the blog, although it was painted int he spring of 2017. An inversion, an appetite for a painting, some sheep and Smearsett Scar were the ingredients for this one. The low lying mist in North Ribblesdale was the main inspiration for this although its not perfectly captured here, I hope the atmosphere of the cloudy sky and the appearance of the mist toward the left of the painting give some impression to the meteorological phenomenon that was most impressive when I painted this. The trio of Dalesbreds are more of an afterthought bringing a little bit of interest (if that floats your boat!) to the composition.

Smearsett Sheep, Oil on Board 10" x 8"