This years Fintray Girl's Weekend was at Inverallan House, Grantown-on-Spey, in the Cairngorm National Park, Scotland. I always try to paint a picture during our visit. This was our fabulous view up the River Spey towards Aviemore and the northern part of the Cairngorms.  A problem with landscapes and distant hills is that they are often obscured by ever changing clouds, light directions and weather. It can take several hours of unclear shapes before their correct profile can be seen, but is needed before I could start my oil painting. So I started by sketching in Faber-Castell Pitt pen then moved on to oil on canvas board once I was confident in the vista.

Painted these one after the other at the Yeo Valley Organic Garden at Holt Farm, Blagdon.  As it was 25.C in the shade I sat in the birch glade to keep cool. As it was hard to get enough contrast of dark to light on my first version, I started another by blocking in the darker underlayers. then finishing off several days later once the paint had dried. The slightly different colours were just because that was what I had with me on those days.

 Left to Right:  TOP ROW: Pencoed Growers Apricot and willow sticks; Blackthorn Blossom at Cheddar Gorge;  Apricot blossom and willow sticks v.II .
Second Row:  Misty Avon Gorge;  Spanish Chestnut, Stoke Hill;  Bluebell path at Priory Woods, Portbury;  Spanish Chestnut  Stoke Hill (Kewstoke Rd).
Third row: Woodpile and Tulips, Holt Farm ;   Camassia and crabapple blossom, Holt Farm;  East Usk Lighthouse.
Fourth Row; Watertrough with cows , Holt Farm;  Woodland stream with iris, holt Farm; Severn Bridge from Portskewitt.
Fifth Row:  Godrevy Lighthouse, Cornwall; St Michaels Mount from Perranuthnoe;  Fence Posts at Godrevy Point.
Sixth Row:  Midland Hawthorn at Bristol Zoo;  Little Priory Pond, Abbots Leigh;  Trevoole Garden gate.