Lockdown #1
These pieces are a response to the first Covid lockdown. I was incredibly fortunate that my kind patrons on the Gower allowed me to stay with them during what became a 3-month lockdown. They are the first works I completed en plein air since a chronic neck injury sabotaged my painting practice in 2017. Much time was spent in the garden, as well as the nearby wood where I used up my allotted exercise time with oil sketches.
Dug in (15 x 15 cm) Digging in the Ashes (15 x 20cm)
Beginning with some small-scale sketches, I progressed to 20 x 20cm and 15 x 20cm hand-cut oil-primed boards. While works in the garden (Dug in, Digging in the Ashes) were not time restricted, the changing light was my hourglass. My slowed hand meant I had to return to these first works at the same time the next day. They are a suggestion of both the ‘wartime’ mentality of those exceptional times, and the families’ devastation in the wake of the pandemic.
Old Lady’s Wood series plein air study for ‘Hanging in the balance 2020’
The Old Lady’s Wood series were completed quickly, reacting to the dappled light and changing spring vegetation. These pieces concern sanctuary in Nature. I worked up some larger pieces from the en plein air paintings, sketches and photographs presenting the division and death of a tree, one half suspended in the canopy while the base is deprived of light. While I am not usually comfortable with a higher tone key the freshness of the spring foliage employed compelled its use in the woodland setting.