Artwork description:

The Kirkstone Pass is a mountain pass that takes the A592 road from Ambleside to Patterdale in the English Lake District. At it's highest point the pass is 1,489 feet (454m) above sea level. It is the highest pass in the Lake District, at some points the road becomes very steep, with a gradient of 1 in 4.

The pub at the top - The Kirkstone Pass Inn - is another gem of a Lakeland pub. I recall on one occasion stopping off there on the way from Ambleside to the top of Red Screes - the foot of the fell which can be seen to the left of this image. I think the liquid refreshment didn't really agree with some of my party as they really couldn't recall why they had agreed to the trip in the first place. It is a very steep climb!

The print is a combination of 5 different colours. I love the pink and mint green in combination - a really uplifting partnership. I also really enjoy the gestural nature of the marks in this print. I really feel that I'm starting to get the grasp of how to capture a scene in a relaxed impressionistic way.

I really worked on getting the composition right on this print. The feeling of a massive landscape, with one tiny building in amongst all the fells and moorland, is something I was keen to capture. This feeling of isolation seems to be coming ever more prevalent in my work.

Materials used:

Printed on 300gsm Canaletto using water based inks

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