The Colour of Spring Print

This work was inspired by walks in Spring in the woods and hills of Charnwood Forest in Leicestershire. I love the time when there is mist and a chill in the air but also the beginnings of warm air currents appearing. Among the plants and rocks are the small details in the landscape that invite us to contemplate nature and our own place in it. A crackle of leaves underfoot, the murmur of insects, the unfolding ferns and the jittery movement of a butterfly. The title, like many of my titles, comes from music. ‘The Colour of Spring’ is an album by Talk Talk that I fell in love with in the mid 80’s. The band moved from an early 80’s synth sound to a beautiful organic sound with acoustic instruments, brass and harmonica. What better musical representation could there be for nature unfolding? This is part of a series of works inspired by Beacon Hill in Leicestershire. It’s an area that I have visited many times over a period of about 40 years. As an art student I spent a lot of happy hours sketching, taking photos and playing guitar there. Now I visit all year round, watching the changing seasons, still sketching and taking photos but now I take the dog instead of the guitar. Oil paint is applied in many thin glazes over a wooden panel. The glazes of oil paint create a semi-translucent surface revealing subtle colour variations with prolonged viewing. There are also asemic, calligraphic-like marks representing the movement of insects. My main references are Bosch, El Greco, Turner and contemporary artists Chu Te Chun, Zao Wou-Ki and Cruz Jimenez. I hope the viewer finds a sense of both peace and movement and can feel something of the flow of energy through the universe.