Gordale Beck (Original Watercolour)

Description

I love Gordale Scar, and have painted it many times before. Any visit to the location results in a flurry of photo-taking or quick pencil-sketching to be worked on later, and there is always a seminal moment of just standing and marvelling at the raw beauty of nature. Having taken my photos and enjoyed the ambience of being surrounded by such magnificent sheer rock faces, I was on my way back down the dale towards Malham, when my attention was caught by the small, inconspicious-looking Gordale Beck meandering its way down the centre of the valley.

After a bit of scrabbling about along its banks, I began to realise that I was looking at a potentially decent painting subject. More to the point; I was slightly taken aback by just how easy it would have been to walk past and not notice at all, since the good, most-used, footpath passes some way off to the side of it.

My conclusion was that, while grander things may be dominating a scene, it is always worth refining our scrutiny, and looking a little closer at the lesser elements within a landscape. Sometimes that may just mean looking at a location from a slightly different position (if you have the opportunity – take your time and walk around a bit). Don’t always settle for the default, most obvious viewpoint; if you’re prepared to explore – or get your feet wet – you may be surprised at what you find.

A YouTube presentation, featuring my painting process, can be seen here.

This painting is supplied unframed, and will be dispatched in protective packaging with rigid backing panel, ready to take to a framer.