Either side of Christmas I’ve been working (mainly) on the first painting in the series. I’ve stopped dribbling and am now using a brush. From now until I finish the painting I put on the paint in short strokes (apart from at some point redrawing the outline). As the surface of the painting is very rough, it’s not that easy to begin with. What I am doing is varying the colours – which makes it easier to see what I’m doing – but is chiefly aimed at creating vibrancy of colour. As I progress I will reduce the variation in the colours without, I hope, losing the vibrancy.

I have taken a series of photos to show details of the painting which make clearer what I am doing. I have used my spotlight to give a raking light to emphasise the texture – the last detail doesn’t show a jagged black line but the shadow from a ridge that runs down the painting.