Autumn in the Dales

Autumn is a particularly inspiring time of year to paint. As the days become cooler and shorter, with the changing landscape comes a shift in the colours on my palette. Late sunshine catches the colours of the fells and woodland, often creating striking contrasts against darker, more atmospheric skies.

My painting of Flasby Woods was inspired by one of these moments, when sunlight illuminated the fallen leaves and brought warmth to the changing autumn colours. I find these seasonal transitions interesting especially how familiar places can take on an entirely different character as the light and weather change.

From Walks to Canvas

Much of my inspiration comes from walking locally and observing the effects of weather, light and the changing seasons on the landscape.

One of my regular walks takes me through the woods at Flasby, past Oldfield Laithe and towards Sharp Haw. However many times I follow the same route, there is invariably something different that catches my attention and makes me want to capture it in paint.

On this occasion, it was the striking shapes of the oak trees, backlit by the sun, with the same light picking out the early autumn colours on the fell beyond.

These fleeting combinations of light, weather and landscape are often where a new painting begins.

On the Easel: Sheep Shearing

Alongside landscapes, I have become increasingly interested in the working lives of people that have helped shape the Yorkshire Dales.

Building on my portrait and life-drawing practice, I am beginning to explore the people who live and work locally and how I might capture something of their lives through painting and drawing.

One current work in progress depicts a sheep being sheared at Grange Farm. I was struck by just how physical and skilled the work is. Today, shearing is often carried out primarily for the welfare of the sheep rather than for the value of the fleece.

Looking Ahead: Autumn and Winter

Not everything that inspires me can be captured en plein air, but I am trying to spend more time working directly from life.

Alongside portrait models and life drawing, this means getting outside more often and painting what is immediately in front of me. Working outdoors presents a very different challenge: the light and weather are constantly changing, and there is limited time to capture the essential character of a scene alla prima.

Recently, I joined other artists at the Cow and Calf in Ilkley for a plein-air session organised by Yorkshire Plein Air. It was an enjoyable opportunity to paint alongside other artists and to see the different interpretations of the same landscape at the end of the session.

Continuing to Learn

Portraiture and drawing remain an important part of my practice. A recent study of a model’s eye was an exercise in better understanding its underlying structure and construction, following a challenging portrait session with Skipton Portrait Sessions, hosted by Workshops in Yorkshire.

My portrait studies and finished work can be viewed in my Portrait Gallery.

Autumn also takes me back to familiar places. Autumn Colours at Strid Woods, Bolton Abbey grew from another favourite walk at this time of year and is currently available through my Gallery.

There is a saying that the more you learn, the more you realise how much there is still to learn. That continues to feel particularly relevant to my own development as an artist.

For now, I am enjoying that process — observing, learning and continuing to paint the landscapes and people around me.