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My time for painting is very limited so when I do get a couple of days completely free I like to scale up and let loose on a large pieces of Arches paper.

I'm not really sure where the inspiration for this painting came from other than the dark autumnal colours; it isn't a scene that I recognise. Sometimes a painting just comes about because of the colours that I want to use and I was really wanting to create a large scale imposing clouds scene. 

Since I started using the cold wax medium with oils I have always bought it off the shelf, ready made. I was aware you could make your own but the idea of heating up solvents wasn't really on my bucket list. However spending 2018 teaching the use of cold wax medium I thought it was about time to experiment and really get to know the medium a little more. 

This was my second time at Art in the Pen in Skipton so I knew what I had in store in terms of set-up etc. This year I was further up the aisle and until I arrived wouldn't know what the lighting would be like in that area.

Art in the Pen is held in an auction market so isn't designed to be a gallery. Some areas of the big shed are particularly dark, whilst others are smellier!