Hillside Mist

It was misty where we stayed in the Dolomites, although warm. The cloud shrouded the tops of the mountains for three days, while it was sunny at lower altitudes. On the second afternoon I installed myself on a public bench  in the hamlet where we were staying, and tried to capture the feel of the place. This picture shows the abruptness of the mountains as they rise up, hazy in the background.

I took the chance to use my favourite colour, Payne’s Grey, in this painting. I really enjoy the way it spreads into other paint and water, and gives a neutral blue/shadow feel. My favourite part of this picture is the crunchy mountain edge where the paint has collected in a dark line and contrasts with the sky. That was a result of accident rather than design, but who’s counting?

Just to put me in my place, right at the end of painting I was thinking ‘Well, that wasn’t so bad’ when I managed to flip the contents of my dirty water pot onto the sky. Fortunately, and to my relief, most of the paint had already dried sufficiently to be unaffected. Phew.