Patchwork fields on the Welsh hill is the view I always admire from my garden. The spot I painted it from is my car park, where I have the clearest view of it.
Painted alla prima en plein air.
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| 196. Patchwork fields on the Welsh hill 6.1 x 7.9 in / 15.5 x 20 cm oil on board 28th July 2026 |
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| This is a quick photo I took at the end of the painting session |
Shaded sheep features some sheep resting beneath an oak tree in Ystradfawr Nature Reserve.
Painted en plein air in one session.
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| 195. Shaded sheep 8 x 10 in / 20.4 x 25.4 cm oil on board 24th July 2026 |
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| Photo of Shaded sheep taken at the end of the painting session |
Despite the heat and the drought, this summer has brought a triumph of flowers in the garden, and I just can’t get enough of them.
What I particularly love here is the texture of the bricks we used for this flower bed. They’re so irregular and beautifully variegated, and when the sunlight falls on them, they’re a joy to look at.
Of course, the flowers are the main attraction, especially the hydrangeas. After starting out such a pure white, they gradually become dusted with delicate shades of pink – a transformation that’s hard to describe in words. In this painting, though, they hadn’t yet begun that change.
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| 194. Hydrangeas and Nasturtiums 12 × 9 in / 30.5 × 22.5 cm Oil on board 21st July 2026 |
Claire Austin rose is inspired by the the great blooming season we are having this year. It is painted from direct observation in the garden and I gave the final touch in the studio.
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| 193. Claire Austin rose 10.2 × 8.9 in / 26 × 22.7 cm oil on board 16th July 2026 |
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| Photo of the painting at the end of the plein air session. |
Penny lane roses was the attempt to capture the sunlight on these beautiful roses in the garden.
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| 192. Penny Lane roses 8.9 x 10.8 in / 22.5 x 27.5 cm oil on board 14th July 2026 |
Under the green canopy is an oil study done in Ystradfawr Nature Reserve.
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| 191. Under the green canopy 6.1 x 8 in / 15.6 x 20.2 cm oil on board 7th July 2026 |
Pink hydrangeas is painted alla prima in the late afternoon.
I tried to capture those beautiful rounded flowers when the sun touched them before setting down.
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| 190. Pink hydrangeas 9.9 x 7 in / 25.2 x 17.8 cm oil on board 6th July 2026 |
Daisies in the garden is happy and sunny and I loved the contrast of colours and textures.
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| the painting on the easel in situ |
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| 189. Daisies in the garden 10.2 x 8.9 in / 26 x 22.7 cm oil on board 27th June 2026 |
View from the window is a quick sketch of a late afternoon made with the leftover paint.
It is on oil paper as my aim was simply to enjoy the process of painting a view I look at every day and that I love so much, because of the lush trees and the green grass.
As I was painting from my living room, the light indoors was not enough to see well but I did my best.
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| 188. View from the window 12 x 10 in / 30.5 x 25.4 cm Oil on paper 26th June 2026 |
Roses in the garden is the beginning of my study of roses.
Painted all prima and in a rush to avoid the hot sun reaching me.
I like the immediacy and the hues.
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| 187. Roses in the garden 10 x 7.1 in / 24 x 18 cm Oil on board 25th June 2026 |
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| painting on the easel on location during the heatwave |
Summer in the garden is an oil painting celebrating the abundance of flowers and plants in this year's garden.
Painting during the heatwave and alla prima.
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| 186. Summer in the garden 10 x 8 in / 25.3 x 20.3 cm oil on board 23rd June 2026 |
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| Photo taken at the end of the painting session |
On this day I carried on my exploration of colours and values with two tiny studies.
The first one is Summer clothesline, featuring my the clothesline seen from my garden. I do love painting colour shapes that closely do not mean much but seen from a certain distance they create the image I was trying to portray.
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| 185. Summer clothesline 7 x 5 in / 17.7 x 12.6 cm oil on canvas board 22nd June 2026 |
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| 186. View to the kitchen 7 x 5 in / 17.7 x 12.6 cm oil on board 22nd June 2026 |
Soft and rounded afternoon clouds, Varteg hill is a studio oil painting.
Started from an unfinished pencil sketch in the car and finished in the studio with oil paint on board.
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| 184. Soft and rounded afternoon clouds, Varteg hill Oil on board 7.9 x 12 in / 20.3 x 30.5 cm 16th June 2026 |
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| Soft and rounded afternoon clouds, Varteg hill painting on the easel in her studio |
This is a painting from life that was a flop.
I was not completely happy with that and so I retouched it in the studio. Mistake!!!
Lesson: if it is a painting from life, do not work on it from memory and feelings of the day after. Take it out again in front of the real subject instead.
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| 183. Climbing roses- failed Oil on board 15th June 2026 |
I forgot to take my brushes with me, so I painted with fingers, twigs and leaves.
A nice and unexpected challenge I really enjoyed in Ystradfawr Nature Reserve.
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| 182. Sheep in Ystradfawr Oil on canvas board 7 x 5 in / 17.7 x 12.6 cm 8th June 2026 |
This is a painting made in the studio and it features the canal walk we used to have when we lived near the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal in Llanover, Wales.
I was attracted by the light and reflections created by the sunshine and it shows a lush vegetation I really love.
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| 181. Canal Walk Oil on board 9.9 x 12 in / 25.2 x 30.5 cm 6th June 2026 |
A second day of oil studies in the garden with further different colour palettes.
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| 179. Garden study 3 Oil on paper 30th May 2026 |
The first study of the day is featuring my climbing roses in the garden. Some unusual colours to mix the paint for this study.
The second study is about the same flower pots of yesterday but with a different colour palette and with the strong light snd shadow.
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| 180. Garden study 4 Oil on paper 30th May 2026 |
In this day I finally inaugurated my new painting setup: the 12x9-inch easel and 16-inch panel holder by DayBreak Easel, and my carbon-fibre tripod by K&F Concept.
As experimenting is fun and makes you learn new things, I decided to use different a colour palette to try different colour mixing.
The first study is on the top left and it depicts part of my garden and the sky.
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| 177. Garden study 1 Oil on paper 29th May 2026 |
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| 178. Garden study 2 Oil on paper 29th May 2026 |
This is another oil painting featuring the beauty of countryside, where nature is lush and you can walk under a big sky.
I liked the path leading to a distant field behind the line of trees and the open sky above with many passing clouds. The sense of peaceful movement was what I tried to recreate in this landscape.
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| 176. Sky and Land, Walking in the Countryside Oil on board 9.9 x 12 in / 25.1 x 30.6 cm 3rd May 2026 |
Inspired by open land and big skies, I painted this landscape painting featuring a well known field in Llanover, Wales.
I worked in the studio over some working sessions. My main focus and aim was to capture the sense of space both of the land and the sky, with the soft feeling of playful clouds.
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| 175. Clouds and Dandelions Oil on boards 12 x 11.8 in / 30.5 x 30 cm 27th April 2026 |
I really enjoyed using the palette knife to soften edges and create atmosphere.
