I began this painting by working in my sketchbook en plein air on a typically wet and windy day in February, where the skies were moody and the light on the fells were atmospheric, with a small sliver of light trying hard to shine through on the fell where I have placed the gold leaf. I often see gold on the fells, where the coarse grasses and beautifully rugged yellow ochres shine in the sunlight. I use patterned underpaintings to emphasise the spirituality and humbling feeling from standing in such a magnificent landscape as Alston Moor.