Skardu was our expedition’s stopping point between Islamabad and Askole. With its own airport, the city is the closest access point to the Karakoram’s high peaks and the capital of Baltistan. Our hotel was an old wooden structure not unlike an Alpine chalet and was surrounded by fruit trees. When the warm afternoon faded, lights came on in the garden. Later that evening as we sat eating handfuls of cherries, the different time zone and the waiting around made us feel tired and vaguely apprehensive. A few weeks later we returned to the same spot. In contrast to the barren wastes of the high glaciers, it felt like an oasis.

- William Mitchell, K2 Artistic Expeditions: James Hart Dyke & Vittorio Sella, 2026

See all the paintings in K2: James Hart Dyke at our London exhibition, which then travels to the Forte di Bard. You can also browse more works by James Hart Dyke or read his biography.