Original artwork description:

'I don't believe in making pencil sketches and then painting your landscape in your studio. You must be right under the sky. (William Merritt Chase)'

I am a big fan of the American painter Merritt Chase, and agree wholeheartedly with him. I painted this little piece from a position on a hill overlooking the Abbey at Saint-Mandé-sur-Brédoire, just outside the town of Aulnay in France. Painted towards the end of summer, the clearness of the air made it possible to see well into the distance with some clarity, and I think that gives the painting real depth.

Materials used:

Oil paint