Painted in the spring of 2019 following a stroll from Malham back home to Stainforth. The dry valley of Watlowes above Malham Cove has provided me with inspiration before, although I have found it a tricky subject to paint. That previous time, I was painting it en-plein air, the flat overcast light of winter with drab colours and very little contrast of shadows, just deadened the view, and muddied the painting and blurred the lines of distance. I returned to Watlowes in the spring with some strong, low shadows which helped enhance the composition and also provided a bit of aerial recession. I shall be painting this dry valley again as I think it has a lot more to offer, perhaps a winter view, but for now I am happy with the addition of this tricky one to my repertoire.
Geologically the dry valley was carved out at the end of the last ice age when a glacial moraine was burst through with meltwater creating a torrent that carved this valley and the dry waterfall of Malham Cove below. The stream now follows a similar path but some way underground through a series of caves within the Limestone; only once in a blue moon does water flow through this valley and over the cove at Malham, the last time was recorded in February 2014.
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| Watlowes, Spring 2019, Oil on Panel, 12" x 8" ish |
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