The City Wall Trail, York

The City Wall Trail in York is an oil painting that was a long time in the making. I’d seen a similar painting the year before at a local gallery in York, and it had taken until now to get back here and find it. Which wasn’t difficult. It’s an obvious and glorious painting spot at the top of the stairs leading to the great wall. And there is enough room to set up your easel and stay out of people’s way.

It was the elevation down to the river and back up to Yorkminster that intrigued me. I wanted to capture a sense of its distance and of the journey in the painting. It was a little windy, so I tied my easel to the railings and placed my bag on top to stop it from moving too much whilst painting. The sun was quite warm though, and before long I’d mapped out the composition and completed the block in.

In my view, the scene was most pleasing when Yorkminster was in the sun and the immediate foreground was under the shadow of a passing cloud. I decided early on to incorporate this moment into the final painting.

12x16in
Oil on board
Framed

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