Thixendale bale collecting

I love this painting taken from a sketchbook and painted at home. It is oil on stretched canvas 30 x 24 inches.

I am standing high above the Fotherdale valley looking down at a seasonal scene. The post harvest time of bale collection is going on. A contractor, COLLEY,

has driven onto the field and now loaded with bales is due to set off. The ghost lines in the field indicate the movements of the tractor used for loading the trailers.

It represents a special moment. The culmination of a year planning, growing and harvesting. I can see the dew pond below at the start of Long Dal. I can see the ash trees near the pond, now sadly removed. I like the fact that the painting records they were there.