landscape

Storm over Winter Hill

I got caught in a fantastic storm on a recent walk over the moors. Lashing rain and hail with dramatic clouds trailing over the wet moorland. I’m hoping to produce a few paintings based on photos like this one, above.

Darwen Tower 1, originally uploaded by David Pott.

Here’s one for all the people from Darwen, Lancashire (Darreners I think is the correct term). Its Darwen Tower from the flanks of Higher Hill with Tockholes in between.

Lever Park Study 1, originally uploaded by David Pott.

Just a quick colour study - perhaps I’ll work it up into a bigger painting.

Rivington Sunset

Originally uploaded by David Pott

Today has been a showery and warm day with big, dramatic clouds scudding across a very clear blue sky and occasionally dropping heavy showers on the parts of Lancashire beneath them. The clouds themselves are towering pillows of whiteness underlined by dark grey bands that produce the rain. When the rain falls from beneath the clouds they trail dirty veils of water behind them.

With the youngest child in bed, and the rest of the family playing computer games on the Wii, I packed my sketching equipment and headed up towards the high moorland at the back of Horwich, seeking out the dramatic views that I felt would be produced by the weather.

I wasn’t dissappointed. Anvil shaped thunderclouds made slow but majestic progress from Snowdonia, past the Wirral and alond the Sefton and Fylde coasts where they met the setting sun, silhouetted with the outline of Blackpool Tower below.

I came home with two or three quick sketches, countless photos (like the one at above) and a sense of marvel that nature can create so many rich and contrasting hues in a single sunset.

Hopefully I’ll be able to paint several oil paintings from the sketches, small watercolours and photos I took tonight. Sadly I don’t think any of them will match the original version!