The Country Lane is an oil painting depicting a lane I discovered a few days ago behind Callwen Church, in the Upper Tawe Valley.
I was drawn to its rural atmosphere and the gentle, meandering course of the little road winding through this peaceful countryside.
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| 143. The Country Lane 10 x 8 in / 25.5 x 20.5 cm Oil on panel 19th October 2025 |
I like it when the colours reflect those found in real life.
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| Photo at the end of the painting session on location |
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| 100. Woodland footpath 7.9 x 9.8 in / 20 x 25 cm oil on panel 12th August 2025 |
It features a hidden footpath descending to Penrhos that I discovered by chance.
I like the meandering line winding around the gentle slope where a lonely tree stood.
The scene is in Ystradfawr Nature Reserve, Ystradgynlais.
Edge of the Woods is a painting particularly dear to me, as it captures an idyllic vision of the Welsh countryside, with trees lining a gently descending slope.
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| 99. Edge of the woods 6.5 x 9.4 in / 16.4 x 24 cm oil on panel 11th August 2025 |
I painted it while it was raining, and I loved the peace and tranquillity of the place. It’s located in Ystradfawr Nature Reserve and depicts the countryside between the woodland and Penrhos.
It was completed in a single painting session.
Walking path is an oil painting created on an overcast day, when the light was flat and diffused.
I was exploring open land in Ystradfawr Nature Reserve, and this is the scene I chose to paint.
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| 96. Walking path 5.9 x 10.9 in / 15 x 27.7 cm oil on panel 6th August 2025 |
This walking path crosses a beautiful stretch of farmland, and many people enjoy strolling there. The two figures I added in the painting are actually a couple who live on the same road as I do.
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| Picture taken at the end of the painting session. |
I liked the idea of using an elongated panel for this landscape — it felt like a fitting format to reflect the path's gentle flow through the scenery.
Not far away is an alla prima plein air oil painting inspired by the Welsh landscape near where I live.
I set out intending to reach a field I often admire from my studio window. However, it turned out to be fenced farmland, and I should have asked permission to enter. Since the surrounding area was equally full of beautiful views, I decided to stop at a spot along the cycling and walking path, where I could take in a different view—one I can only just make out from my house.
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| 93. Not far away oil on panel 10 x 8 in / 25.4 x 20.3 cm 26th July 2025 |
I'm always on the lookout for an intriguing landscape, and this was a perfect example. The play of various distances created a natural sipario beneath a magnificent sky.
This photo was taken during the early stages of the painting session at Ystradfawr Nature Reserve:
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| Photo taken during the painting session in Ystradfawr nature reserve. |
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 |
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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 |
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| study 3 |
From 26th to 30th May, I worked both in the studio and in the garden with sketches and an oil study.
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| A tonal value study adopting the sight-size technique for the first time (not a great result, but I was curious to try it) |
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| Tonal value preparatory sketch |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Tulips |
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| 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 |
