Three Bridges

I have come across a number of places called Three Bridges. One of these in West Sussex is the source or destination of many of the Thameslink trains that pass through our town. Another in southern Belgium (and therefore in fact called Trois-Ponts) has a superb local beer, quite the find of that particular trip!

These three bridges span the famous gorge at Takachiho (高千穂), but as far as I can tell this place name has nothing to do with these crossings, instead making reference to the abundant rice harvests the area was known for.

Undoubtedly the prettiest views in the area are of the gorge itself, but somewhat typically I had my back to those beauty spots when I took a photo of these three engineering marvels spanning the valley.

I decided that since the essence of this view is the shape of the graceful arches, I would try this picture in monochrome, and having just finished another pen drawing it seemed natural to paint this scene with a single watercolour instead. Cobalt Blue seemed well suited to the upper half of the view – however in retrospect I am not convinced that it is the best colour for the foreground …