In the shade of the old Oak tree is another oil painting from Ystradfawr Nature Reserve. I really liked the big Oak tree with its lush green colour and the shade it offered.
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| 110. In the shade of the old Oak tree 8 x 10 in / 20.5 x 25.5 cm oil on panel 25th August 2025 |
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| Photo showing the finished painting in front of the tree |
Inspired by the water, I decided to paint it again in this sunny day.
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| 107. Fresh water 11.7 x 8.3 in / 29.7 x 21.1 cm oil on panel 21st August 2025 |
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| Finished painting on the easel next to the subject |
The water stream is an alla prima painting that tries to capture the water stream movement and reflections during a dull afternoon in Ystradfawr Nature Reserve.
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| 106. The water stream 20.4 x 25.4 cm oil on panel 20th August 2025 |
This is the first attempt to paint water in movement and I like it.
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| Real stream next to the painting |
The old tree features a majestic beautiful tree in Ystradfawr Nature Reserve near the gate at the end of a farming field.
I was intrigued by the play of light and reflections on the ground and on the tree trunk.
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| 104. The old tree 11.7 x 8.3 in / 29.7 x 21.1 cm oil on panel 17th August 2025 |
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| Photo taken at the end of the painting session |
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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.
Now that our sunflowers are in bloom, I really wanted to capture their beauty with a close-up of two of them.
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| 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.
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| Photo taken in situ during the painting session. |
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.
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| 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.
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| Initial sketch: here I drew the main lines for the composition. |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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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Stones and trees is a plein air painting created within the grounds of Saint Cynog’s Church in Ystradgynlais.
It’s a subject I’ve always found fascinating here in the UK, where ancient graveyards steeped in history are part of everyday life.
Centuries-old trees provide generous shade, cooling hot summer days with a display of dappled lights on the ground, leading a peaceful atmosphere to the antique gravestones and meandering paths.
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| 88. Stones and trees 10 x 8 in / 25.4 x 20.3 cm oil on board 12th July 2025 |
In this painting, my inspiration came from the combination of old stones and old trees—elements that, with their age and solidity, maintain their presence in our modern time. I painted it during a heatwave, so this spot, cooler and tranquil, felt especially inviting.
I mainly used small to medium brushes, and below are some details from the painting:
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| detail - gravestone |
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| detail - gravestones |
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| detail - trees and foliage |
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| Photo taken during the painting session |
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.
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| 87. Hosta in turquoise 10 x 8 in / 25.4 x 20.3 cm oil on board 9rd July 2025 |
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| Photo taken during the painting session |
A simple and minimal plant, which I find very beautiful and elegant.
Summer garden is an oil painting completed in two sessions. It features a part of my garden I particularly like.
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| 86. Summer garden 10 x 8 in / 25.4 x 20.3 cm oil on board 3rd July 2025 |
The inspiration came from the summer colours of terracotta pots and the lush green of large nasturtium leaves. Combined with the contrast between the stone in foreground (the steps and the door dog) and the wood in background (the fence), it created the perfect subject for my painting.
Here you can see the first three stages of the painting process:
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| stage 1 |
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| stage 2 |
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| stage 3 |
This time, I also used a palette knife for some areas of the painting, which I enjoyed.
Here are some details:
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| Brushstrokes |
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| Brushstrokes |
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| Brushstrokes |
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| Brushstrokes |
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| palette knife used in the sky and roofs |
I’m quite happy with this painting. I like the summery feeling it captures and the energy of a summer afternoon.
You can purchase it on my website. If you’d like to leave a comment or ask a question, I’ll be more than happy to respond.
Home from the back garden is an oil on canvas panel, completed yesterday evening during my second painting session.
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| 85. Home from the back garden 9.5 x 7.1 in / 24 x 18 cm oil on canvas panel 19th June 2025 |
The subject was chosen to simplify the multitude of colours, shapes, and textures typically found in a garden and on the exterior of a house. I aimed to capture the scene in the late summer evening, when the sun is preparing to set—making the available time to paint both short and more challenging.
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| photo taken at the end of the first painting session |
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| photo taken at the end of the second painting session |
My objective is to be minimal and essential. I enjoy engaging the viewer—inviting them to actively interact with the painting by identifying elements and details that I have only suggested.
Let me know what you think.
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.
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