Delighted to announce my first exhibition with Meta Space Gallery. Three of my favourite flowerscapes are included in Part 2 of their online exhibition: Place, Time and Memories.
^ Spring morning
All three flowerscapes were created plein air in the Yorkshire sunshine. Two in my courtyard garden and one on my doorstep. They're inspired by nature and painted from life. But, there's a good dollop of creative licence in these. I wanted to capture the wild joyfulness of the blooms. While they might be growing in pots, their quest for the sun is much more exuberant.
Plein air painting is my meditation. It's about spending time soaking up the sun, enjoying the blooms I've grown for myself and the bees. These flowerscapes bring together time and place to create a soulful memory of one of life's simple pleasures. Feeding my soul and sharing nature's beauty in paint so you can enjoy this in your home all year round.
^ Echinacea candyfloss
My plein air flowers are typically created in acrylic. Acrylic dries considerably faster than oil, so it's better suited to rapid plein air painting. I do use a make-shift stay-wet palette to slow down the drying time a little bit. Otherwise the paint would dry in the sun faster than I can mix it. I also tend to use a limited colour palette. This saves deliberation time when mixing so I can work quickly and responsively. The outdoor light can change frequently during the course of a painting so it's important to work quickly. A limited palette also ensures good colour harmony. Occasionally, I add additional colours towards the end, if I feel something is missing.
^ Summer friends
You can enjoy Place, Time and Memories on the Meta Gallery website until 4 March. There's a range of interpretations of the theme, so I'm sure you'll enjoy looking at this online exhibition and discovering new artists.