I’m not sure when I painted this picture.
But I know this is an old painting.
I painted it on a spiral-bound pad.
And I painted over two sheets of paper so that I could do a huge panoramic painting that matched the view I experienced on that hill.
I have since pulled both sheets out of the pad.
So now the painting exists as two separate parts.
When I took a photograph of this painting I decided to photograph each part of the painting separately.
Then I put the two parts together in a photo-editing app.
This is why there is a line down the middle of the painting.
But I find that line quite interesting.
As you can see both sides don’t completely line up but it is good enough for me.
I can still remember going up this hill which is in a place called Akeno and my feeling of delight upon finding this wonderful view.
And I remember being very happy with the results.
I’m surprised it was a successful painting because I often struggled in those days with watercolor painting.
Also this was a large sized painting and it’s normally harder to paint on a large size.
Of course, sometimes you get a watercolor painting that is successful on the first attempt.
But that is very rare.
I think this painting could be classed as one of them.
But I also think part of the reason for my success with this painting was that I felt inspired by the scene.
In my opinion, being inspired increases the chances of making a good painting.
I haven’t visited this place since, even though it is quite near my house.
I would have to go up a steep hill, perhaps that has deterred me.
And perhaps it is because I didn’t think I could do a better painting than this one.
To be honest, though, I have no idea why I didn’t go again.
Like most things in life, it remains a mystery to me.
That’s all,
Gareth.