Description

This oil painting scene, would be familiar to anyone who drives up to Velez de Benaudalla at night. It’s the view from the old road that goes between Granada and the coast… facing north, just as you go up the turning towards Velez. Looking up to the iconic 10th century Moorish castle, and 3 old cypress trees that stem from the Nazari gardens.

I’ve wanted to do a painting of a night-time scene for ages – this is my first attempt. I often study moonlit views, and wonder how I would depict the colours (or lack of them).

This landscape is partially lit in the foreground by car headlights hitting the plants, the cliff is lit by the restaurant below, and the castle is lit by its own architectural up lights. Or so it would seem, because I mostly did this oil painting from memory and imagination.

Painting method

The painting started off life as a doodle, playing around with the paint until a recognisable scene started to emerge. I suppose it manifested because it’s a view I’m very fond of. That’s the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the distance.