I’ve found it very interesting to see the choices of tree vs landscape, silhouette vs colour, focal point vs pattern, in May’s project paintings. Thank you to everyone who’s shared their paintings for us to enjoy.

From Marion: I wouldn’t! It has a beautiful delicacy to it that could so easily be overworked. I think the balance of suggestion and detail is perfect.


From Marion: Even if you never add more colour to this, the different compositional choices to the first make it worth having done.



From Marion: I suspect trees are on of those subjects we underestimate how long it should take us because we think of it as one thing. If we rather start thinking “one trunk, dozen main branches, roots, etc.” and granting ourselves permission to spend equal time on each of these, it adds up.

From Marion: My first reaction was that there was no yellow of the gorse, and my second was that the season has shifted to late summer when the landscape is dominated by deep blue-greens. The sense of light on part of the hill and shadow/soft light on the rest is beautiful.

From Marion: I like the interplay between line and colour. Initially I wanted there to be line in the ‘negative space’ in the bottom right corner, but after looking at it a bit I think what I would do is crop a sliver off the bottom and left so the lines go up to the edge.

From Marion: For me it’s a composition I’d approach as a colourfield, a painting more about pattern and colour than a focal point, because there are so many elements striving for attention whilst interacting with on another.

From Marion: I would never have got to fish myself from this reference photo, and throughly enjoyed seeing your journey, how the ‘netting’ in the first attempt takes over as the inspiration point and where it leads.
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