First Frost, Runner Beans and How I learned to know when to stop with my paintings
Updated: Nov 6
A first frost, a handful of saved runner beans and a studio full of colour. Autumn has arrived in West Wales, and it's making itself thoroughly impossible to ignore.
I love the quiet hours before daylight, when Albert and I can settle down together and I can think about the paintings and projects ahead. This morning brought a surprise: the first proper frost of the year, with ice on the little pond and a garden transformed overnight.
Not everything was delighted by the weather. The last courgettes were finished off, and a lovely pepper plant didn't survive. The cabbages and kale stood their ground. And then came that astonishing sunrise over the field. I know, I know: this is supposed to be an art journal, not a gardening column. But the garden is part of the art.
One of this week's unlikely stars is a runner bean. My neighbour Mo — Mo from below — gave me the beans last year, and I've grown them on. Now I'm saving the seeds for next spring. More importantly, those beautiful pods and seeds have followed me indoors and right into the paintings.
Back in the studio, I've been exploring the colours of the season and painting over some older work to loosen things up. A painting of Llangrannog is taking shape with a simpler composition and colours I'm enjoying. There are sketches on paper hanging in a wardrobe, a very old paint-covered apron, little model horses I've treasured since childhood, glitter (naturally), and some of the last garden flowers.
Dogs have been keeping me busy too. I made a couple of imagined dog paintings to introduce my Christmas commission places, and all six commissions sold out in just a few days. I'm delighted with that and looking forward to making the paintings.
Then it was back to the beans, and a dahlia from the garden. A previous painting became the starting point for something new. I rather like that idea: paintings don't always need a completely blank beginning. Sometimes the most exciting thing is to paint over what's already there and see what happens next.
The video captures a little of how I work — following colour, noticing things outdoors, bringing curious objects into the studio, and letting one painting spark another. I'm learning about filming and finding my voice as I go. Onwards!
Watch this Studio Journal
episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1r75xPNgpU
Explore my original paintings and latest work:
Comments