Narrowboats on the Oxford Canal at Enslow

Oil on Board, 14 x 20 inches

I'm submitting this one for the ROI (Royal Institute of Oil Painters) anual axhibition at The Mall Galleries in London.  It's a view from the bridge over the Oxford Canal at Enslow, near Woodstock.  The canal runs alongside the River Cherwell, a tributary of the River Thames, and runs for 78 miles, passing through the Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire countryside.  It was once an important artery of trade between the English Midlands and London, and is now popular among pleasure boaters, as can be seen here.

The canal holds fond memories for me - I spent a great deal of my time fishing on the canal at Bodicote where I lived for most of my childhood.  I would almost always see a Water Vole swimming amongst the lilies and reeds - nowadays a very rare sight and one I haven't seen since those days. 

The inspiration for this painting was the fantastic sparkling light on the rippling water, churned by the boat. This sort of subject is meat and veg for me, and I really enjoyed trying to depict that brilliant sunlight reflecting off the tops of the narrowboats.