The Lancaster Canal near Galgate. Oil on card 6"x8"

Rising Tide on Glasson Marsh. Oil on card. 8"x10"

Motor Launch, Windermere. Oil on card. 6"x8"

I painted this at a busy location on the shores of lake Windermere. I tend to try to find quieter locations to work but I think it's useful to paint with people around and it's fun to get a response to your work.
You still don't see many plein air painters in the UK although I believe this is set to change. I detect a shift away from the artistic preoccupations of the last few decades and a return to what I for one believe are the real issues of painting which are about interpreting the world around us.

By that I don't mean politics or social commentaries. Nothing is more guaranteed to become irrelevant than art which focuses on 'issues'.

If you don't believe me just look at the explosion of interest in plein air painting in the states which is usually five or ten years ahead of us in most things.

Buttercups and Houses near Caton Oil on card 6"x8"

This painting came from the same photo source as the previous one. I cropped the image closer to select this chosen composition.

Buttercup Field near Caton. Oil on card. 8"x10"

On Farleton Knot Oil on card 8"x10"

Another plein air painting done quickly in fading light a couple of weeks ago. The sky was an interesting mix of warm browns and cool grays with occasional flashes of brilliant blue showing through.

Crook Farm, Lune estuary. Oil on card, 6"x8"

I often walk down here from home and it's a lovely spot to paint. The light on this afternoon was clear which isn't usually the case. As autumn progresses I'll paint this again and try to contrast the conditions. I use a very limited palette and it was interesting trying to get the subtle turquoise of the sky from ultramarine which is essentially a 'warm' blue. I found that if I added blue to a viridian and white mix I could get quite a nice turquoise, adding more blue as I moved higher.

Evening on the Lune estuary. Oil on card 6"x8"

Done on site recently in very rapidly changing light. The speed of the change was bewildering and I had to work quickly. By the time one area was finished and I moved to the next the values had completely changed.

Whitbarrow Woods. Oil on card. 8"x6"

This is a plein air study done recently on a hot afternoon near Witherslack in Cumbria.