There are places I remember...

"Autumn on the Ouse"

The River Ouse is a 'proper' river. Do you know what I mean? It looks like a river should - wide with deep banks. It is fed from many sources high up on the moors and by the time it reaches York it is in full flow.However this magnificent river does cause problems. It is notorious for flooding all down in its course. The ancient City of York is one of the main victims and it is inundated annually. Millions of pounds have been spent on defences but nature always seems to find a way to overcome these man made efforts.
I lived in a small village called Skelton for sixteen happy years. Skelton is about three miles north of York and quite close to the river. In days of old the river used to flood all the way up to the village pub, but new flood plains have alleviated that. But the road to Overton is still often impassable by the sheer volume of water.
This painting was done in a calmer moment and was part of my daily walk (floods permitting). I have painted the river in all seasons but Autumn is an especially inspirational time. There was still a lot of mist on the river but it was slowly lifting as the sun grew stronger with a beautiful day in prospect.
We are going back to York for a few days and I am looking forward to renewing my friendship with the delightful River Ouse.