With no tall buildings to block any view, this part of St Osyth is perfect for sky gazing.

And gaze I did, when I beheld this fine example of the wonders of the sky. The colours, the mood, the almost electric feeling this sky gave me was cause for inspiration.

A skyscape is an intricate subject to paint and it does take time. Even when working in wet on wet, to try and achieve a painting of a skyscape in a short space of time, in my opinion, is impossible. The work will invariably appear flat if it is executed too quickly as you need to employ all your watercolour skills: a wide variety of different brush strokes, made with a wide variety of different brushes, wet on wet, glazing, colour mixing, timing of washes, mixing a wide variety of washes (always ensuring you have mixed enough for the size of your paper), lifting out and edging skills are a few of the watercolour skills you will employ when painting a skyscape.

One technique that is worthy of mention is glazing with a yellow, gamboge or raw sienna, two wonderful pigments that shine when used in their weakest form.

This sky was dark, very dark, but the light shining through the clouds was bright, giving a rather divine quality to this September night sky.

I was standing on the beach when I took the photograph. As it was so dark, the beach looked black in contrast to what was happening overhead.