Wheelock twin locks mark the beginning of the 'Heartbreak Hill' ascent up 26 locks in 7 miles. This painting was produced over 3 remarkably similar days where a flat winter light was constant throughout which facilitated quite a high level of detail.
This being one of the first paintings of the trip I was keen to try and represent the canals in a different form to how other artists might, which is a difficult task as canals and waterways are an extremely popular subject matter. With this piece I wanted to describe all the multiple levels, the drama of looking down at the gushing water through the gaps in the twin lock gates closest in contrast to the still water at a much higher level alongside in the lock.
I met a lot of people whilst painting this piece, I think it must have been a spot on a popular footpath because there was dog walkers, hikers and boaters every few minutes.
This photograph was taken by Jean Squires, a lovely lady who paused hiking with her two friends to chat about the painting and kindly sent through the photograph. Thank you Jean!
(The lock gate made an excellent workbench!)
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