The winter brings new challenges for me. I love the textures and spikey foliage, especially bracken. When the sun is low but it's a clear day the combination of vibrant colour and texture offers a great starting point for further expression and possibilities.
This is one of my favourite views to paint, across the field to the reservoir in winter when the frost lies in shadows and the colour is sumptuous. I love the simplicity of the shapes here and it's not often I would say to myself 'less is more'.
I walk everyday with my dog. We pass these trees in all seasons, their twisted trunks and branches silhouetted against the sky. In winter the colours are earthy and strong . They are very much the colours of this landscape and those I am drawn to. I chose to work in pastels for this very reason.