Study in light and shade . . .

“The Shepherd’s Hut”.

Done from a recently taken, early morning photograph up in the hills.

I limited my palette to:

lemon yellow, yellow ochre, cerulean blue, pthalo blue, violet and paynes grey. Trying to get the sun and the very diffused rays to look realistic was the most taxing part of this project.

I love these bright frosty mornings. At, the moment, here on the Welsh Borders, we are being subjected to the worst flooding for decades. We had a month’s rain in 48 hours. Nothing very inspiring about that!

Most sheep around here nowadays are brought inside large agricultural sheds for lambing. The big, commercial ewe often as not needs help to give birth. But, “back in the day”, when lambing was undertaken with traditional hardy breeds outside in the fields; often a distance from the farmstead; the shepherds, or farmers, would take up residence in temporary shelters. Now so beloved of the “glamming” industry! This particular structure was pretty basic and constructed entirely of zinc sheets on a wooden frame. Not on wheels and with no discernible form of heating. Not a very glamorous abode. . . . but the occupants would have kept dry out of the rain.