Tuning with nature is a landscape I painted two days ago en plein air at Ystradfawr Nature Reserve, looking towards Clydach.
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89. Tuning with nature oil on panel 10 x 8 in / 25.4 x 20.3 cm 14th July 2025 |
Tuning with nature is a landscape I painted two days ago en plein air at Ystradfawr Nature Reserve, looking towards Clydach.
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89. Tuning with nature oil on panel 10 x 8 in / 25.4 x 20.3 cm 14th July 2025 |
From 19th May to 10th June, I have been experimenting, studying, and wiping off.
My focus has been on tonal values and simplification through oil studies and pencil sketching. A couple of plein air paintings were done and wiped off because I wasn't confident enough to really see something new in them—and now I wish I hadn't done it. This is part of the learning process.
So, here is a mix of what I've been up to:
On 19th May, I painted this and then, in the studio, I decided to wipe it off.
Between 20th and 21st May, I focused on these four tonal value studies in oil on board:
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four tonal value studies in oil on board |
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study 1 |
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study 2 |
study 3 |
From 26th to 30th May, I worked both in the studio and in the garden with sketches and an oil study.
A tonal value study adopting the sight-size technique for the first time (not a great result, but I was curious to try it) |
Tonal value preparatory sketch |
During the plein air painting stage |
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Final version of the oil study |
On 2nd June, I did two oil studies of a still life in the garden. The first was from direct observation, and the second was from observing the first study itself. Why? To try to loosen up my brushstrokes and be more spontaneous.
Work in progress with study 1 |
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Study 1 |
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Study 2 |
On 3rd June, I directed my attention to the Brecon Beacons National Park by looking through my window.
Here are two studies of the same panorama at two different moments of the day.
Tulips |
Peonies and coffee cup |
Finally, on 10th June, I went out for a plein air session and ended up with two paintings of the same subject because I wasn’t convinced by the first one.
This is the first painting, which no longer exists.
The second painting was finished the day after, and you can see it in my next post.
I've just finished this oil painting, based on a photo reference I took in 2016.
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82. Countryside walk 7.8 × 11.8 in / 19.8 × 29.9 cm oil on board 16th May 2025 |
I decided to call it Countryside Walk because that was the moment when I saw this beautiful natural composition. As often happens when I walk with my dog in nature, I’m easily drawn to the beautiful play of clouds in the sky and the shadows cast on the ground.
For me, movement, freedom, and fresh air are the essence of nature – elements I tried to capture in this painting.
Below, you can see some close-up details of the brushstrokes I used to convey this feeling:
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the clouds in the sky |
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the trees trees on the right |
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the distant trees |
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the grass in the field |
I began this painting in January 2025, then set it aside for a while. Here is how it looked at the beginning of the process – just the main blocks of colour:
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Stage 1 |
And here is a more recent stage:
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Final stages of this painting |