“A Seat On The Point, Bamburgh”

It looks out over Black Point rocks. The rock is often referred to as Stag Rock because a white stag's been painted on the rock face there.

However, sitting in the seat, you can look to the left and see further up the coast. On a clear day you can see Lindesfarne castle on the enigmatic island often called Holy Island, but also called Lindesfarne.

To the right is Bamburgh Castle, though it's admittedly a strain to try to see that while sitting on the seat. Nevertheless, the prominent position and shapes of the rocks makes it a great place to dwell a while, watching the Rock Pippets soar high and plunge to earth making their displays.

The bank rises behind the seat and on quieter days, it's a private idyll to loiter in, admiring the view of the distinctively shaped black point, and the Farne islands beyond.

The rocks here are very black, as their name implies. I'm not sure of the geology of the area, but the blackness almost seems unnatural.

There's hours of fascination scrambling over, around and through the rock forms, peering into the pools with their myriad of tiny shells, beautiful pebbles, and who knows what else you might happen across.

There are quite a few seats on the banks nearer to Bamburgh Castle. Every one of them has a unique vantage point from which to enjoy the landscape surrounding the castle.

Each bench is a special place, and this one most certainly is too. There's inspiration for landscape art at every seat – every one I've sat on so far, that is. I'm not sure I've explored them all, yet.

The day I painted this was a cold one, despite it being June! There was a strong biting wind so I worked quickly before my fingers decided to hurt as they lost all feeling.

It was early morning, and I was determined to make the most of the day so this was another reason not to dwell too much. As a result, this study has a lot of freshness – it's often the way.