Horse Houses, Dales

'Some days are diamonds and some days are stone'. These words spring to mind when I revisit a work conceived early in my career as a newly-married professional artist. For indeed, as I tried to capture the sparkling crystals of the Dales hamlet after a summer cloudburst, it was a truly diamond day. And no matter that rain had fallen.

I get excited when, like on this painting, the rain makes the road shine like the underside of a milk top, reflecting and crystallising the shape of the cottages. Colours cannot be brighter or stronger than when it has just stopped raining. I was equally fascinated by the glow in the sky as the clouds wrung out their last reluctant drops. To smell the freshness straight after rain is a wonder that never ceases to amaze me.