Seacourt Stream I

One copse of trees I paint line alongside the Seacourt Stream

…a mixed deciduous group dominated by a range of willows. The challenge is reflecting the way trees clamour for the light. When I started painting here 35 years ago, the river edges were bare and fenced for cattle. Poplars and willows stood in the distance. Now I am fighting tree and climbing rose even to have a look in. This has led to a development in the range of marks I use, building a series of layers that combine flat dark or light planes broken by strike and stutter marks. The marks reflect a quickening of pace and a shorthand established to help record the changes. The layered dropping canopy as it stretches to capture the light over water has become the structure.