Oct 5, 20232 min read

September studio highlights

Paintings Completed: 18

(+ lots of sketches + several trips out into nature)

September in my studio was all about my latest landscape painting collection, Woodlands and Walks, and thankfully it was a highly productive and satisfying month. I may not have managed to paint every single day, but in the grand scheme of things, with work obligations, a toddler, home projects and general adulting, I did pretty well. You can follow the progress of this series here.

For the sake of not repeating myself too much, I’ll highlight a few of my favourites from the last month, and some other works not related to this collection.

A Lark Above The Trenches

I’ve not been so moved and so emotionally caught up in a book for a very long time. Reading John Lewis-Stempel’s “Where Poppies Blow” was a lesson in gratitude and humility. First-hand accounts of WWI soldiers, in poems, letters, diaries and field notes, document the intricate, sometimes contentious and often lifesaving relationships with the natural world. From the larks that sang even as the trenches of the Somme were torn apart, to the countless horses, dogs, pigeons, to the gardens that were grown in the midst of battle. I was often drawn to tears, often horrified, but always fascinated by just how great nature’s impact can be.

Wildflower Way and Path of Poppies

I was still lamenting finishing that beautiful book, and drawn as always this time of year to the poppy. So inevitably, it showed up in not one but two of the next paintings in the collection.

If You Go Down To The Woods Today

I remember as a child, as we sped along the UK's motorways on our way to wherever, I'd look up into the steep embankment of dense trees, imagining all the wild creatures that roamed up there in the darkness, waiting until the traffic grew silent to emerge from their hiding places. Were there bears, wolves, deer, monsters? Maybe this is where my love of forests comes from.

The Inspired Path

Titled to remind me of the intricate and winding path my inspiration has taken over the years. The Forest of Dean in the west of England with its ancient trees and haunting Roman ruins were a huge source of inspiration for Tolkien and Middle Earth. Forests and Tolkien have been a huge source of inspiration for me. How could I not paint it?

Meanwhile, in the sketchbook

Aside from the paintings on panel, I kept myself busy in my sketchbook. I wanted to focus on a few key areas that I’ve often struggled with: woodlands and trees (ironic, given that’s the collection I chose to work on for 100 days), depth and value in my skies, and thirdly, creating a more dynamic, Expressionistic quality to my work. I focused a lot on brushwork, loosening up with a number of abstract studies on some days, whilst on others I sat down with just a pencil to study the various and wonderful forms of trees.