Crib Goch – Tân ar y Grib

There is something unforgettable about Crib Goch. One of the most dramatic ridges in Eryri, its jagged profile rises sharply against the sky, creating a landscape that feels both powerful and exhilarating.

In “Crib Goch – Tân ar y Grib”, I wanted to capture that sense of drama rather than simply reproduce the mountain as a traditional landscape. The painting is built around the strong diagonal sweep of the ridge, drawing the eye upwards through the landscape and towards the glowing sky.

Warm oranges, ochres and golden yellows dominate the upper landscape, suggesting the intense light of a late afternoon or evening. Against this warmth, the dark charcoal and black forms of the mountain create a striking contrast, giving the ridge a sense of strength and movement.

The pale, misty area sweeping across the right-hand side introduces another layer to the landscape. It gives the impression of cloud or atmospheric haze moving around the mountain, softening the harder edges of the ridge and creating a feeling of depth.

Working in encaustic wax allows me to build the surface in layers. Heated wax, pigment and texture create organic patterns across the painting, from delicate cellular marks in the sky to the heavily worked, rugged textures of the foreground. Scraping, fusing and manipulating the wax reveal different layers beneath the surface, echoing the weathered and ancient character of the Eryri landscape.

For me, encaustic is particularly suited to painting the mountains of North Wales. The wax can be both soft and atmospheric and, when heavily worked, incredibly rugged. It allows me to respond to the landscape through texture, colour and movement rather than simply through representation.

Crib Goch – Tân ar y Grib is my interpretation of one of Eryri’s most recognisable and dramatic ridges — a landscape of rock, light, cloud and wild weather.

Original encaustic wax painting inspired by the mountains of Eryri (Snowdonia), North Wales.