Beggs – Beside Ennerdale Water, Cumbria

The Lakes District in Cumbria is wild and mountainous, with abundant sweeps of heather cascading down the hills into deep lakes. Each day of our long walk had its share of triumphs and challenges, and as we passed by peaceful Ennerdale Water we had little inkling of the day to come. The landscape seemed to swallow us up and, occasionally, we would lift our eyes to contemplate distant mountains yet to be traversed.

The dappled light from the broken clouds creates pleasing effects in the distance and around Elizabeth in the foreground. I am working on using texture to represent detail, and soft edges to show distance. With great effort I am avoiding overblending once on the canvas, striving to keep my strokes definite and abstract.