Nidderdale: The Completed Painting

This view from Guise Cliff was stunning. The air was fresh and cool. Occasionally a gentle breeze would pass through and rustle the grasses as I looked down upon the colorful valley. As far as I could see there were farm houses, villages, reservoirs, large and small estates, the peaceful River Nidd and fields with sheep and cattle grazing. England never looked more beautiful to me.

Nidderdale
36x48", oil on canvas
Rita Salazar Dickerson

Stage 6: Painting the foreground.

This painting was fun but a challenge. Using only palette knives, I constantly underestimated the amount of paint I needed so I was always squeezing out more and more paint; it rarely seemed like it was ever enough.



The final painting with the 8x10" color study.

Visiting Northern England: "Guise Cliff" - Painting Nidderdale

Stage 4: Painting the valley.



 

As I paint this scene of Nidderdale, I am amazed, once again, at the colors of  northern England in late winter. The countryside reminds me of a giant patchwork quilt sprinkled with farms and houses, accented by the market town, Pateley Bridge, in the midst of it all. It truly is a beautiful place to wander and explore.

Stage 5: Completing the valley.

At last, I am ready to paint the drama of the foreground.

Visiting Northern England: Landscape Painting #6

This study depicts a portion of Nidderdale looking out from an upstairs bedroom window. The sky was overcast and the air was cold. It felt good to be inside.

I first painted this on a 8 3/4 x 5 3/4 inch panel that slips into the frame of my small box easel. The easel is such a convenient size (9 1/4 x 7 1/4"), I was able to set it on a window sill. I worked in acrylic for this initial study. My main concern was capturing the colors accurately.

Back here in my studio I used my little color study for reference and then also used a reference photo taken from that same window to repaint this scene on a 10 x 8" canvas. The colors that I applied on the small panel were so much more vivid that the colors in my reference photo; a good reminder of how much nicer (and more accurate) it is to paint from life.

One of my favorite parts of this late winter scene of the dale is the color of the grove of trees which contrast so well with the rich green of the hills.

The Farm In The Dale
10x8", Oil on canvas
Rita Salazar Dickerson

I really had fun with my palette knife on this final layer. I switched off between the palette knife and paint brush to apply thick paint and soften the edges.

Visiting Northern England: Landscape Painting #5

It was early morning. Everyone else in the house was still asleep.

I could hear a rooster crow; the sun was about to rise.

Grabbing my camera I headed to the empty bedroom that overlooks this scene behind the house. I opened the window and began taking shots of the beautiful Nidderdale morning unfolding before me.

Nidderdale Sunrise
10x8", Oil on canvas
Rita Salazar Dickerson

As the sunlight touched the trees and buildings everything turned golden.

Painting this little study was a fun change for me. I worked quickly challenging myself to spend only the amount of time necessary to tell the story. When working from a photograph, I must remind myself to paint the colors the way I remember them, not necessarily the exact colors that are in the photograph. Once again I used a #4 filbert brush to block in the shapes of colors and then a #2 filbert to work in the details.

Painting A Pheasant

Ken's Pheasant
 oil on canvas, 10x8"
1st Session

I would never have imagined that the first painting I would be working on after my return from England is of a pheasant.  But there is a story behind this bird, a story of kindness from a stranger and a new friendship formed.

Ken, our neighbor in North Yorkshire, England, knew that we were visitors to the area with a limited amount of time to spend enjoying the surrounding beauty of his native land. Without hesitation he offered to show us the sights and share the history of the area, sometimes by foot, other times by car.  He became out tour guide extraordinaire. We learned so much from Ken in such a relatively short time.  As the paths along the countryside are varied and sometimes vague, Ken showed us the way. By car he gave us an overview of  Nidderdale; all of it was fascinating.  

Back to the pheasant painting. Ken loves the colorful pheasant that grace the countryside. He even enjoys feeding those that come to his yard each morning. (Robert, on the other hand, had other thoughts about those pheasant. Like Ken, he got so excited when he saw them, but it wasn't because he wanted to feed them.)

Robert was leaving England before me but before he left we decided that an appropriate thank you gift for Ken would be a portrait of a pheasant which became the inspiration for this painting. Early one morning, with camera in hand, Robert paid a visit to Ken's yard. With those reference photos and others that I took while touring the area, our plan was set. 

Path To Pateley Bridge V: The Village



Pateley Bridge Village
11 x 9", pen and ink

When I saw Pateley Bridge for the first time, I fell in love with it. It is the ideal village in so many ways. Not too big or too small, it has everything a person really needs; the people are friendly and its picturesque setting next to the River Nidd in Nidderdale couldn't be more perfect. It even has the Oldest Sweet Shop in England. How perfect is that?

Path To Pateley Bridge IV: Sheep



Path To Pateley Bridge IV: Sheep
11 x 9", pen and ink
Rita Salazar Dickerson, 2012

Across the River Nidd, there were sheep grazing in a green pasture as I walked along the path to Pateley Bridge.