I am stealing a quote from Mark Rothko and I wholeheartedly agree with his conviction. It also helps if you believe your subject is miraculous. When I am out in the landscape in Northumberland my thought is how could it not be. I want to present an image that has a sense of wonder but its knowing how far to push it. A case in point is this sky in my current painting, the photo alludes to these shapes and contrasts but I have exaggerated the effect, my feeling is its just the right side of being plausible (should I really care?). What I am trying to do is understand the complexities of how a sky is formed so I can stretch the truth. No one can say I lack ambition!
Harbottle. Day 2