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

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.

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.

Summer garden

Summer garden is an oil painting completed in two sessions. It features a part of my garden I particularly like.

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:

stage 1

stage 2

stage 3

This time, I also used a palette knife for some areas of the painting, which I enjoyed.

Here are some details:

Brushstrokes

Brushstrokes

Brushstrokes

Brushstrokes

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.