Inglebro

The massif of Ingleborough is probably the most recognisable hill in the Yorkshire Dales, visible and recognisable from as far away as Leeds and Morecambe - its flat gritstone cap was supposedly the site of an ancient hillfort dating back to the times of the Roman invasion, and an outpost of the Brigantian leader Venutius who rebelled against not only the might of Rome, but rose up against his wife - the pro Roman Cartimandua. The hill has been also linked with some drunken vandalism, when the circular hospice was partly demolished by inebriated revellers on the day of opening in 1830.

I painted this en plein-air during the first few days of February with a rather minimalist setup, hoping to get the painting done rapidly before frostbite set in. In the end having produced what Alwyn Crawshaw would describe as a "atmosphere sketch" I gave up and resorted to fine tuning the sketch back in the warmth of the studio. When I say 'touching up' I really mean 'completely re-jigging the sky' as the originally-painted mackerel sky was a hard-one to pull off.

Inglebro, Oil on Panel 10" x 6"