Flascoe Bridge, Austwick - Pochade

Flascoe Bridge, Austwick - Pochade 8" x 6" Oil on Board

Flascoe Bridge near Austwick is a wonderful example of a stone clapper bridge, a very basic bridge type of large stone slabs on stone piers. It was supposedly built in the later middle ages (15th Century) over Autswick beck, and the adjoining ford provides vehicular access along the green lane which connects the small hamlet of Feizor to the massive metropolis of Austwick.

While I was sat there, a number of dog walkers brought their pooches for a paddle in the beck, and with the heat of yesterday all of them were thankful for a refreshing dip; making me think about a larger version of this.

This was painted en plein-air yesterday, however I threw in a figure strolling across the bridge, and when I got back to the studio to scrutinize what I had done it became apparent that the figure didn't look right, so off he went... I think the touch-up went rather well!

Goredale - Pochade

Pochade - The Approach to the Scar. Oil on Board 8" x 6"

 
Yeah I know, I know... how clicheed? I don't care if Turner painted it - it is a wonderful spot on a summers' day, and a fantastic place to camp. Goredale Scar in Malhamdale HAS to be one of the highlights of the Dales, so much so as the family and myself walked down the hill from home to Stainforth Foss, a bunch of foreign gentlemen (foreign  - from overseas - not Lancashire) showed me a picture of Goredale Scar on their phone and asked directions to it. The gorge itself is the product of a collapsed cave system, and a public right of way exists up the waterfall in the heart of the chasm.

Again the pochade took about an hour to paint, and I was amazed by how much the earth had rotated in that hour, glad I got the shadows down first and didn't do my usual trick of chasing the sun and proloning painting unnecessarily.

HSE gone mad...

HSE Gone Mad, Oil on Board 8" x 6"

Aye, its even spread to the relatively quiet outpost of the Yorkshire Dales. Large, red, yellow and white warning signs appearing on delapidated barns highlighting the dangers that might befall should anyone stray too close or let the curiousity get the better of them. I painted this from the relative saftey of 50m away, just in case the barn should collapse, I didn't want to take any chances.

Strangely enough in the 45minutes it took me to paint this pochade, no part of the barn collapsed, no slate dropped off,  no beam fell crashing to the floor despite the warning signs emblazoned on its gable. Is it me or is this absolutely ridiculous? I know farmers have got to CYA, but to plaster warning signs around the countryside to mitigate against litigation - is that a justified response?
Whatever the reason - the sign does add a splash of colour to the image, and I didn't have to add the obligatory colourful figure walking up the track.