Summer SHADE

The inspiration for this painting came in an instant, during a visit to a formal garden. It was a very hot afternoon; the sun was beating down and my eyes needed a rest from the strength of the light. I often choose not to wear sunglasses, in order to enjoy the colours of my surroundings in natural light and to avoid the softening of tonal contrast.

As we walked around a bend, I was greeted with a magical scene: a cool tunnel formed by trees growing across the path, with a wonderful, beckoning glow of light, enticing a visitor to walk through it to discover what was beyond.

I was particularly inspired by the shapes of the trunks and branches that twisted and turned into fascinating shapes. The glow on the grasses beyond highlighted the negative shapes between the trunks and it was this effect that made me want to capture the scene in a painting.

DEVELOPING THE IDEA

Since it was the glowing negative shapes that really interested me, the image was planned to emphasize these elements rather than the trees or the grasses occupying the negative shapes. This painting had to be about colour and tonal contrasts.

This scene would have been nothing without the delightful shapes of the trunks and branches; although I wanted the viewer to look through the trunks and branches to the brightness beyond, I also wanted these elements to be interesting in themselves, to lead the viewer’s eye around the painting, on a visual journey that would be