I saw this abandoned farmstead one day when I was walking the high Pennines. I stopped and drew it from two different angles and determined to paint it back in the studio. I wanted to create a feeling of abandonment and chose to paint the details against a dark background that would substitute for sky and which would throw the buildings and foreground into a high tonal statement. Having painted the buildings I decided the picture needed a little more interest so I added the figures and the dog.