Red Kite over Thixendale. 1.5m x 1m oil on stretched canvas.

This is perhaps my favourite view to paint. I can carry my equipment and walk a short distance with George to set up, looking down on Fotherdale and the Thixen Dale valley footpath. This particular day was typical inasmuch as I would see red kite pass over the field behind me before wheeling round, as they focused on the hillsides below. I find myself wanting them to linger and whistle to them. The freedom to ride the updrafts with such consummate ease, hardly moving their wings is astonishing, their pointed tails constantly flick and twitch as they maneuver into better positions. I painted this view previously and used it as a reference for this large canvas. Painting it with a large sky has worked, I think, as it has enabled me to add the kites which now balance the whole scene.