"Spinney Lane End"

Spinney Lane End began life in a small wood (spinney) opposite my neighbour's farm. I was increasingly fascinated by the change from the cool shade to sunlit fields. As is usual, the scene itself does not appear in the drawing but gave rise to its creation. Here the dogs have just emerged from the lane through the spinney and have turned back, attracted by the tiny sounds of the frozen squirrel — which will have disappeared in the next half-second!

The composition originally featured various birds, as I wanted to show these dogs as true Gentle Giants. I finally settled on using a squirrel I'd photographed ten years earlier - as it had screamed and chattered at me just feet above my head! The Rooks I sketched from life and the foliage was drawn from samples I picked along the lane each morning.

The original drawing took 139 hours to complete and is available for purchase.