A Sunny Day, Ystradfawr Nature Reserve

A Sunny Day, Ystradfawr Nature Reserve is an oil painting featuring a walking path in Ystradfawr Nature Reserve that I have already painted last year from life in the summer.

I was really intrigued by the different colours and vegetation this season: lighter, brighter greens, little yellow flowers, and the sky peeking through the still quite bare trees.

Painted plein air.

174.
A Sunny Day, Ystradfawr Nature Reserve
Oil on board
12 x 8.9 in / 30.5 x 22.5 cm
9th April 2026

A Sunny Day, Ystradfawr Nature Reserve painting on the easel outdoors

Clouds Over the Brecon Beacons

 Clouds Over the Brecon Beacons is an oil painting done from the bedroom window looking towards the Brecon Beacon National Park.

I decided to paint it because of the clouds and their relationship in terms of light with the land below.

Painted alla. prima and from direct observation I aimed to avoid details and be as direct as possible.

172.
Clouds Over the Brecon Beacons
Oil on board
6.9 x 8.4 in / 17.6 x 21.3 cm
28th March 2026

Arches, Light and Shadows

 Arches, Light and Shadows is an oil painting featuring the "Y Bont Aur” or “The Golden Bridge”, these monumental arches are what remains of the Ynyscedwyn Ironworks in Ystradgynlais.

I’ve always admired them when driving past, so I finally made the trip to see them a few days ago — just before the sun decided to disappear.

It was the cast shadows that really inspired me, creating a striking contrast against the fresh spring grass and echoing the rhythm of those majestic columns.

171.
Arches, Light and Shadows
Oil on board
8.2 x 6.2 in / 20.8 x 15.8 cm
23rd March 2026

Photo of the finished painting on the easel in front of the real arches

Bare Tree in the Spring Afternoon Light

 Bare Tree in the Spring Afternoon Light  is an oil painting done alla prima and from life in Ystradfawr Nature Reserve.

I was drawn to the water stream first and then I saw the tree and it looked to me as a good composition.

I aimed to be as minimal and simplified as possible.

170.
Bare Tree in the Spring Afternoon Light 
Oil on board
8.2 x 6.1 in / 20.7 x 15.5 cm
20th March 2026

Photo taken at the end of the painting session 

Revisiting the Snowy Path, Ystradfawr Nature Reserve

This is inspired by a plein air study I made in January during a few snowy days.


I wanted to explore more fully the influence of colour, light and atmosphere I experienced on location, with the greater time and comfort that working indoors allows, while still keeping the spontaneity of loose brushstrokes.


160.
Revisiting the Snowy Path, Ystradfawr Nature Reserve
Oil on board
9.76 × 7.87 in / 24.8 × 20 cm
10th February 2026

View of Nole's Bell Tower and Valli di Lanzo, Italy

View of Nole's bell tower and Valli di Lanzo, Italy is an oil painting created during my stay at my family's in Italy.

It is what you can see from the kitchen window on the first floor, a beautiful view of the mountain range and the rooftops of houses and bell tower of the little town.

The sunny day offered a clear and lit effect of colours, light and shade.

155.
View of Nole's Bell Tower and Valli di Lanzo, Italy
Oil on board
4.88 x 6.97 in / 12.4 x 17.7 cm
21st January 2026

For this painting I used water mixable oil colours in a limited palette.

Painting location at the window (sorry the mess)

The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal in Spring, Llanover

The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal in Spring, Llanover is a small painting made using a very limited palette of water-mixable oil paints. The colours I used are:

• Titanium white
• French ultramarine
• Cadmium Yellow Pale Hue
• Cadmium Red Hue

This is a place that gives me a lot of inspiration with its trees, countryside and water. It is a peaceful and beautiful walking path.

154.
The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal in Spring, Llanover
Oil on board
5.31 × 7 in / 13.5 × 17.8 cm
20th January 2026

The Sunlit Canal Path, Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, Llanover

The Sunlit Canal Path, Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, Llanover is inspired by the beautiful late-afternoon walks with the dogs along the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, when we used to live nearby.

Here, I wanted to capture the sunlight in a loose and immediate way, as it gives a warm touch to the landscape, with the pale blue sky reflected in the fluid mirror of the canal.

153.
The Sunlit Canal Path, Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, Llanover
Oil on board
9.84 × 11.69 in / 25 × 29.7 cm
12th January 2026

Snowy Path, Ystradfawr Nature Reserve

Snowy Path, Ystradfawr Nature Reserve is an oil landscape painting alla prima en plein air in Ystradfawr Nature Reserve.

I was drawn there by the white, soft snow (which white really isn’t!) that created an enchanting effect everywhere.

152.
Snowy Path, Ystradfawr Nature Reserve 
Oil on board
9.92 x 7.99 in / 25.2 x 20.3 cm
5th January 2026

Snowy Dusty Field, Llanover

Snowy Dusty Field, Llanover is a work that comes from a real moment in a farm field in Llanover – from an initial study on oil paper to this final oil painting on board – an attempt to capture the light and atmosphere that made that dog walk such a lasting memory.

151.
Snowy Dusty Field, Llanover
Oil on board
7.02 x 11.34 in / 17.85 x 28.8 cm
3rd January 2026

Countryside Path, Corona Verde Stura Nole, Italy

Countryside Path, Corona Verde Stura Nole, Italy is an oil painting resulting from some previous sketches. It features a familiar place in Italy where my dog and I used to walk every day. 

I’m particularly fond of the gentle, soft quality of the land beneath the lively sky.

150.
Countryside Path, Corona Verde Stura Nole, Italy
Oil on board
8.03 × 9.92 in / 20.4 × 25.2 cm
31st December 2025

Preparatory sketches for Countryside Path, Corona Verde Stura Nole, Italy

These are oil sketches on paper that I made to create a new painting.

They feature a field in Corona Verde Stura Nole, Italy where I used to walk with my dog when we lived there.

I tried to simplify the scene, by focusing on blocks of colours put next to each other instead of the individual elements in the painting.

Winter Land

When it isn’t pouring with rain, it’s the perfect moment to head outdoors and capture the landscape where I live.

This piece is a study painted in Ystradfawr Nature Reserve. By standing on higher ground, I was able to take in a wider view — from the walking path below to the clouds drifting across the sky.

148.

Winter land
10 × 7 in / 25.5 × 17.8 cm
Oil on wooden panel
24th November 2025

As the sun began to set, the sky started to display soft pink hues.

Photo taken on location

I loved being out there, witnessing the magic of nature.

The Country Lane

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.

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.

Photo at the end of the painting session on location

Trees and sunlight

Trees and Sunlight is an oil painting that was started on location and completed in the studio.

It depicts a group of trees bordering a field in Ystradfawr Nature Reserve, captured in the afternoon when the sun was shining brightly on their foliage and the surrounding grass.

This strong backlighting created an atmospheric glow behind the trees in the foreground. As I was painting contre-jour, I found it difficult to see my panel clearly, so I worked en plein air as much as possible before finishing the piece in the studio, relying on my visual memory.

I particularly enjoyed the warm sunshine and loved capturing the light as it touched the still-green leaves and grass.

142.
Trees and sunlight
8 x 10 in / 20.5 x 25.5 cm
Oil on panel
13th October 2025

Photo taken on location.

Down the valley, Ystradgynlais

 Down the valley, Ystradgynlais is a landscape oil painting featuring Ystradgynlais from above. 

109.
Down the valley, Ystradgynlais
6.7 x 8.5 in / 16.9 x 21.5 cm
oil on panel
24th August 2025

Photo at the end of the day with the painting on the easel

Towards the Brecon Beacons

 Towards the Brecon Beacons is an oil painting featuring a field in the farming grounds of Ystradfawr Nature Reserve. It is a field that attracted be for its being surrounded by trees and looking towards the mountains of the Brecon Beacons.

105.
Towards Brecon Beacons
6.1 x 13.1 in / 15.5 x 33.3 cm
oil on panel
19th August 2025

Photo taken of the finished painting in situ

Woodland footpath

Woodland Footpath is an oil painting completed within a limited timeframe of two hours — and in full sunlight.

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

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.

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.

Sky and land

Sky and Land is a landscape painting created on a portrait-oriented panel.

What drew me in was the striking relationship between the vast, cloudy sky and the land beneath it.

98.
Sky and land
9.8 x 5.1 in / 25 x 13 cm
oil on panel
9th August 2025

This view is from my garden, looking between two rows of Welsh cottages in Ystradgynlais.

Photo of the painting during the painting process.