“York Minster,” 2026

James Brown

“York Minster (Oil),” 2026

Oil on wood panel

Size: 51 x 40.5 cm

Approximately six months before creating this painting, I worked on a pastel drawing on a small wooden panel, based on the same photograph I took of the West Front of York Minster in North Yorkshire, Northern England. 

In both cases, I wasn’t really painting the Minster in all its iconic and poetic glory—a true landmark with its imposing Gothic façade, intricate stained-glass windows, and soaring spires. Instead, I was capturing the haze of interference created by foliage, twigs, and branches in the foreground, along with the soft, warm hues of the Minster’s glowing limestone shining through.