F DLEY’S
pr ure the
warm glow of a woodland
glade in watercolourT
he inspiration for this painting
came in an instant, during a
visit to a formal garden. It was
a very hot afternoon; the sun was
beating down and my eyes needed
a rest from the strength of the light.
I often choose not to wear sunglasses,
in order to enjoy the colours of my
surroundings in natural light and to
avoid the softening of tonal contrast.
As we walked around a bend, I was
greeted with a magical scene: a cool
tunnel formed by trees growingacross the path, with a wonderful,
beckoning glow of light, enticing a
visitor to walk through it to discover
what was beyond.
I was particularly inspired by the
shapes of the trunks and branches
that twisted and turned into
fascinating shapes. The glow on
the grasses beyond highlighted the
negative shapes between the trunks
and it was this effect that made
me want to capture the scene in
a painting.DEVELOPING THE IDEA
Since it was the glowing negative
shapes that really interested me, the
image was planned to emphasize
these elements rather than the trees
or the grasses occupying the negative
shapes. This painting had to be about
colour and tonal contrasts.
This scene would have been
nothing without the delightful shapes
of the trunks and branches; although
I wanted the viewer to look through
the trunks and branches to theShade
Summ
PROJECT