A taste of summer
We all relish that first day of the year in England when the sun is finally out and the sky is so rich a blue that it reminds us of never-ending childhood summers. It’s impossible for me not to want to paint and savour that moment as light is captured on the tips of the delicate new leaves and petals. They are a jumble of shapes and tones awakening a feeling rather than a clear, singular image – a feeling of being outside with my eyes closed and my face up to the sun, breathing in the scents of the garden.
It’s a pleasure to be able to capture that uplifting feeling in paint. Hanging my paintings of blue-sky roses on all four walls of a room in the middle of winter is uplifting, particularly during the long dark months in England when blue sky is a distant memory. The challenge is to capture the sunlight while maintaining the form and
