The Foxglove patch, Oil and enamel on canvas, 120 x 90 x 1 cm
I am constantly struck by the beauty of wild patches of urban land. I was inspired to paint Foxgloves after walking by a forgotten corner in the middle of a sprawling urban area. There, bathed in flecks of golden sunlight, amidst a wild brooding undergrowth of twisted curling branches and heavy leaves, was a pink and purple haze of colour, Foxgloves. I wanted to suggest the savage beauty of the scene, an unkempt feral quality which belied the beauty of the wild flowers. Shattered golden shards of light and dark crooked shadows of foliage, amidst a mist of pink circular bells. I kept the initial layers of paint loose, focusing on colour and shape applied in an abstract expressionistic style. As the painting progressed I incorporated line and detail to bring focus and clarity to the foxgloves. Dripped splashes of gold and black paint have been used to suggest the chaos of twisted crooked branches and stems of grass. There is beauty everywhere, even in forgotten and neglected places it blooms and shines…somewhat akin to human nature. The Foxglove patch
