Painting description

There was some incredible light today here in my part of France as the dark early morning, brooding rain clouds broke up to reveal deep blue heaven... and in the cross-winds, scattered crows wheeled and criss-crossed under the mottled canopy which was still spitting the last drops of rain as bright sunlight pierced through. I tried to capture the dynamic confusion on a 70 x 50 cms sheet of Arches Platine, with a colour palette of only blue pastels... familiar soft sticks made by Talens & Son, Apeldoorn, the Dutch company whose products I bought at art college half a century ago and which now give me added pleasure in use as I bring them back to life after so many years.