“Guarding the road”
Dorset is a beautiful county, with a variety of landforms, from shoreline with cliffs and beaches, including the world famous “Jurassic Coast” to hills and valleys.
Lovely places and nice roads with great views and picturesque scenery, making the commute a pleasant experience.
Last year I used quite often for commuting a lane from Horton Inn to Blandford road (A354).
I was always fascinated by this large tree guarding the road like an old sentinel.
I took many photos and I was planning for a long time to paint it. Because it would be difficult to set up an easel and paint on location, being just a narrow road without hard shoulder or laybys around I decided to paint it in the studio.
The photo I used was taken last spring, beginning of May.
For the sky I have used cerulean blue, Prussian blue and warm white.
For the greens I used Prussian blue, cobalt blue and two yellows (cadmium yellow light and cadmium yellow gold).
For the road I used a mixture of cerulean blue, a warm red and burnt sienna for the underpainting and a warm grey, mixed from vine black, warm white and a touch of alizarin crimson.
“Guarding the road”
Oil on linen.
30 X 40cm (12”X 16”).
