don’t paint trees in autumn (too pretty), sunsets (ditto), mountains (too obvious), puppies and crying children (too sentimental) sheep (too ugly). These are all things I heard in my formative years. Clearly its had an impact, its taken 30+ years to paint my first autumnal trees, and I wish I had done it sooner. Painting these trees, ‘pretty’ was never a consideration, the fascination is the randomness of the colour changes and juxtapositions. The overall effect is magical. There is also the strange shapes to be found in such a scene, these can only be appreciated by an artist who is attempting to paint or draw them, they need a long period of observation before they reveal themselves. This painting is heading towards a finish.
Lorbottle in autumn. Day 7