This is a storm I witnessed myself while visiting Bavaria, and it was one of those moments that felt almost too dramatic to be real. The storm passed behind the famous Neuschwanstein Castle, with flashes of lightning and distant, thunderous rumbles illuminating the sky as the setting sun cast a warm glow across the landscape.

In the foreground, the beautiful Church of St. Coloman near Schwangau provides the perfect framing for the scene, contrasting its peaceful setting with the drama unfolding behind the castle. I wanted to capture the atmosphere and sheer scale of that moment – the darkening storm clouds, flashes of lightning and the last light of the day combining to create an almost cinematic Bavarian landscape.

Having witnessed the storm myself, this artwork is less an imagined fantasy and more a personal interpretation of a genuinely memorable experience.

The original drawing was rendered by pen and ink onto Ampersand Claybord. This fine art print version was coloured using digital penwork.

Subject: Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria, Germany

Medium: Giclée 12-colour pigment inks that carry a lightfastness of 100 years.

Paper: Archival Somerset Enhanced Velvet 255gsm paper.

Image sizes: 16x12"

Paper sizes: Additional 2.5cm border all round

Limited print numbers: Yes, 25 of each

Framed: No

Original: No

Certificate of Authentication: Yes

Artist: Graham McKenzie-Smith