The Italian Hills

The Palette

“cobalt against cadmium yellow.”

“Tuscan hills at first light, built up in opaque acrylic.”

Painted from a photograph taken at dawn somewhere outside of Siena. The sky moved through about five different colours in the time it took to mix the first wash, so I committed to a moment — that thin band of yellow between cobalt and sienna — and built the rest of the painting around it. Acrylic on gesso board lets me work fast and rework, which is how I like to paint landscapes.