The Radcliffe Camera in Oxford is an irresistible subject for me. One of the finest buildings in the world, and a challenging perspective to attempt freehand. This angle is from Catte Street, and shows the church of St Mary the Virgin behind. I have tried to leave the painting understated and in doing so have deliberately lost the ground level so that the buildings float upwards like castles in the air. Perhaps that's how I see them, I'm always looking upwards in Oxford, away from the human activities at ground level towards the timeless and abstract.
As always I did a little 'atmospheric' sketch in my small pocket moleskin, as I wanted to explore the colours I might use, and perhaps as importantly, to fire myself up with a mini-preview of my own work! I still like my little exploratory sketches as much as anything.
