Andrew Field graduated from Lancaster University with a first-class honours degree in fine art and is a qualified teacher. He teaches workshops using a range of Wallace Seymour materials including watercolour, oils and acrylics. He is represented by galleries in the UK and has exhibited at the Mall Galleries in London as well as the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists. He lives in Stratford Upon Avon and works from his garden studio. Find out more at www.andrewfieldfineart.com Instagram @andrew_field_fine_art Facebook @andrewfieldfineart
At the time of writing this article I had received the fantastic but somewhat daunting news that I would be having my third solo exhibition in Burford at Nova Fine Art in February 2024. I decided that for this new series of oil paintings I would focus on the Windrush Valley, which is an area of natural beauty in the Cotswolds, surrounding the historic market town of Burford. The river Windrush runs through Burford and this would become a large part of my focus as I have a life-long passion for rivers, since I started fishing at the tender age of six.
In preparation for the exhibition I visited the area and took photographs, starting with the breathtaking views between Stow-onthe-Wold and Burford. The variable light and changing weatherclouds created atmosphere and tension, that I love to convey through my work. I drove to a variety of locations throughout the day, soaking up the landscape and taking loads of photographs, such as looking towards St John The Baptist Church in Burford or the River Windrush passing by The Swan Inn at Swinbrook. To get a sense of place you really need to immerse yourself in the environment as a landscape painter. Ideally, I would have loved to spend another day sketching and painting but I needed to return home, to continue with my preparations back in the studio.
