Local painter unveils three stunning paintings of our county

Great British Life: Cave Dale, CastletonCave Dale, Castleton (Image: Archant)

1. Cave Dale, Castleton

We had been walking between Hope and Castleton and decided to venture up Cave Dale to try to find a view that incorporated Pevril Castle and the bright sun light and strong shadows hitting the sides of the valley.

The valley itself was in the form of my favourite serpentine lead, which I incorporate into many of my paintings, and the light helped to emphasised this. To achieve this view, I clambered up the side of the valley and perched precariously on a very thin ledge just big enough to get my easel on with legs at different lengths and my feet one in front of the other when seated.

Great British Life: High Tor, MatlockHigh Tor, Matlock (Image: Archant)

I found the painting to be quite successful after enduring this position for an hour. Charlotte sat below me on the hillside and wasn’t able to get up to me to take my customary photo at the end. It was quite a precarious climb back down with all my gear!

2. High Tor, Matlock

This painting was a last minute decision and was not done on our usual walks. I set off, on my own this time, and parked up at Sainsbury’s car park in Matlock before walking up the hill at the back of Matlock overlooking High Tor.

Great British Life: Bradford Dale, YoulgreaveBradford Dale, Youlgreave (Image: Archant)

On arriving, I tried to position myself under a tree that gave a little shelter. It was very misty and drizzly which is not ideal for any form of painting, but I wanted to prove I could do a painting in all weathers.

This painting would be predominately splashing, dribbling and flicking of oil paint to achieve the wet feel to it, with glazing across the back for the mist looking up to Riber Castle. There would be areas on the painting affected by the rain but it helped to give the desired effect.

READ MORE: See more Derbyshire paintings by Richard Holland

3. Bradford Dale, Youlgreave

This is one of my favourite paintings. Again, this one wasn’t on a proper walk - we both went out in the car and I parked in the centre of Youlgreave and walked down a little jitty to above Bradford Dale.

I wasn’t prepared for anything adventurous as far as a painting position went with only having my normal shoes on and not my walking boots. I found the place between to trees on the foot path, an ideal to paint the valley. The sky had a multitude of blues and greys pail yellows and pinks and these colours worked fabulously with the oranges, golds and siennas of the autumn trees and floor.

This again was a combination of loose painting dribbling and splashing. I made sure I had a lovely lead in through the painting via the river, with the wall back up the track and house at the end of the fields directing me to the centre of the painting. The combination of drizzle, rain clouds and sunshine shining though, hitting parts of the valley, made for a lovely composition.

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