The Fairy Pools are a popular landmark on Skye, being a series of clear natural pools and waterfalls below the Cuillin mountains. The Pools are popular with wild water swimmers but sadly (thankfully!) I was too busy painting to try that!
Pastel is the perfect medium for plein air painting, being so immediate. I would normally work more, back in the studio, on a painting painted outside (I will not normally work outside for more than two hours by which time light tends to change) but I really liked the marks made on this one while standing by the Pools in around 45 minutes – sometimes less is more, so this time I left it as is.