Returning to the Garden

This time, I have done something completely new for me: a commission based on a painting I made over the summer.

It features the garden pot on the steps that lead from the patio to the lawn in our garden, encapsulating the joy and happiness that our first few months of gardening have brought us.

Working from a previous plein air piece of mine as a reference, and noticing how different the approach was, was truly a new adventure for me. It is, in fact, a reinterpretation of something I have already experienced, but with a fresh, updated twist, allowing me the freedom to alter and adjust it according to my current perspective.

I really enjoyed the process and learnt so much from it.

147.
Returning to the Garden
29.7 x 21 cm / 11.7 x 8.3 in
Oil on wooden panel
12th November 2025

Below, you can see the painting process divided into three stages: drawing, blocking in, and refined painting.

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

SUMMER GARDEN

Summer Garden represents the peak of our first year of gardening, when the plants and flowers we planted earlier in the year reveal their full summer beauty.

In this alla prima oil painting, I wanted to capture what I think is the nicest part of the garden (for now), thanks to the slightly curved stone steps that lead from the patio to the lawn.

The corner they form with the short back wall is the perfect spot for this terracotta-coloured pot. Its delicate, slightly pinkish flowers are pretty little bursts of colour that bring joy to the viewer.

The cast shadows and the brightly sunlit parts of the wall added that extra touch of interest and gave me the inspiration to capture the scene as quickly as possible.

146.
Summer Garden
29.7 x 21 cm / 11.7 x 8.3 in
Oil on wooden panel
31st August 2025

Here are a few photos taken at the end of the painting session.

A monochrome photo of the painting

Photo taken at the end of the painting session.

Evening fluttering clothes

Evening fluttering clothes is another oil painting inspired by the summer windy evening when my clothes were drying in the garden. I loved their free movement and I tried to capture it with paint.

103.
Evening fluttering clothes
8 x 10 in / 20.3 x 25.4 cm
oil on panel
16th August 2025

Photo of the painting on the easel in the garden

Shed in green

 Sheed in green is a small study of the end part of my garden where the shed sits next to a lovely collection of flowers and pots.

102
Shed in green
4.6 x 6.6 in / 11.7 x 16.7 cm
oil on panel
15th August 2025

When the late afternoon offers you an interesting light.

Painting on the easel in front of the subject

Summer afternoon bird bath

When there is a striking interplay between light and shadow, I cannot help but be drawn to it.

This is exactly what I felt when I saw the sun’s rays casting shadows on the white wall and across the patio floor.

95.
Summer afternoon bird bath
10.5 x 11 in / 26.6 x 27.9 cm
oil on panel
5th August 2025

This is an alla prima painting, which means it was completed in a single session — something I am currently striving for.

To capture the subject with freshness and immediacy, I aim to finish each piece in just one sitting. This approach helps me avoid becoming overly concerned with details.

Photo taken at the end of the painting session

This oil painting is on a hardboard panel that I cut myself, as part of an effort to repurpose materials already available in my studio. That’s why the edges aren’t perfectly straight.

Home

Home is an interior oil painting I created from direct observation while standing in my living room and looking towards the kitchen.

I was drawn to the contrast between light and dark created by the wall and door dividing the two spaces, with the French windows at the back revealing the garden outside—the source of the light and colour.

94.
Home
oil on panel
10 x 8 in / 25.4 x 20.3 cm
1st August 2025

It took two painting sessions to complete this piece, but it was worth it.

Photo taken at an early painting stage.

I enjoy combining nature with interior scenes, as it brings a sense of liveliness, naturalness, and happiness to the work.

Sunflowers

Now that our sunflowers are in bloom, I really wanted to capture their beauty with a close-up of two of them.

92.
Sunflowers
oil on panel
10 x 8 in / 25.4 x 20.3 cm
26th July 2025

It was a bit of a challenge painting them from a low angle, looking up, with the bright sunlight hitting both my panel and palette. To cope with this difficulty, I painted the entire time while holding an open umbrella in my left hand. It was also a windy day, so painting wasn’t exactly easy — but I loved it and enjoyed being fully in the moment.

Here is a photo taken on location during the painting session.

Photo taken in situ during the painting session.

Sunflowers in the garden

This is sunflower season – not only in open fields, but in my garden too.

Sunflowers in the Garden aims to capture this fleeting natural moment, when the beautiful yellow flowers finally rise and tower towards the sky.

It was painted over two sessions. It rained in between, but I managed to capture the sunny spell that blessed this spot for a few precious minutes.

The second session was completed entirely in the studio.

90.
Sunflowers in the garden
oil on panel
10 x 8 in / 25.4 x 20.3 cm
21st July 2025

The following photos were taken during the early stages of the painting – the initial sketch and the blocking-in phase, where all the colours are roughly placed.

Initial sketch: here I drew the main lines for the composition.

Blocking-in phase: here all the elements are in place.

As I often like to do, I took a photo of the finished painting in black and white to check the tonal values and make adjustments where needed. Below is the final painting viewed in greyscale.

Black and white version: a monochrome view of the painting, showing the tonal structure more clearly.

This painting, like all my others, is available to purchase on my website. 

If you'd like to follow my artistic journey, you can find me on Instagram. 

Hosta in turquoise

This is a painting inspired by the beautiful turquoise colour of the ceramic pot.

It was painted in the alla prima style, and I needed two umbrellas to keep the sun off the panel and palette.

87.
Hosta in turquoise
10 x 8 in / 25.4 x 20.3 cm
oil on board
9rd July 2025

Photo taken during the painting session

A simple and minimal plant, which I find very beautiful and elegant.