The Honister slate mine in the Lake District is the last working slate mine in England.It is also located at Honister Pass which is a breathtaking mountain pass offering endless opportunities for the artist and photographer alike. I worked on site, using liquid graphite to create an initial tonal base on which to apply pastel, taking care to express the rivers of slate that cascade down the mountain and which are also in natural mounds in the foreground. The light was warm, reflecting the last vestiges of summer and highlighting the distant lake and the road and river which follows it through the valley.