Hi friends,
I am so happy to see April arriving with sunshine and blue skies. Long may it continue and here’s hoping it won’t be freezing and snowing again any time soon!
Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been thinking about making my work more in tune with the seasons, to start painting what I’m seeing at a particular time of year. I want to capture that joyful feeling when you start to see your favourite flowers appear as the days grow warmer and lighter. It is the perfect opportunity to just paint for fun, to experiment without too much pressure to be working towards anything in particular.
I decided to start with Wild Gorse. I love seeing it blossoming in late Winter, bringing cheerful sunshine yellow coconut-scented brightness on even the greyest of days. The first whisper of Spring and a sign of hope.
Now Spring has officially begun, the Gorse continues to blossom and I’m noticing it not only by the paths on our usual dog-walking route, but even on the hills and verges next to the M9 when I’m driving to work. Its sunshiney cheer is everywhere.
Before I began drawing it I did a little bit of research about Wild Gorse, and discovered that it is used in Bach’s flower remedies, to bring hope to the hopeless. It brings a brighter perspective to those who are downhearted, giving them renewed hope and positivity.
This felt quite fitting (although maybe not quite as extreme) - I think we maybe all need a little bit of hope and brightness in our lives. 2025 has been, and continues to be, a pretty bumpy ride but that’s a story for another day.
OK, so onto the actual paintings! Starting off with some rough sketches, I used some photos I’d taken as a very loose point of reference. When I look at such a dense plant as Gorse, I find it quite overwhelming to try and focus on the details and the form to then draw. My eyes dance over the mass of rough stalks and delicate flowers. Rather than attempt a realistic observational drawing, instead I pick out random details that I’m drawn to and piece them together on the page. Capturing the energy and feel of it all. What does it look like to pass by whilst walking, to catch a glimpse of it bobbing about in the breeze.
I then used my sketches and the photos to make some little studies, on torn pieces of watercolour paper (I forgot how much fun tearing paper down to size is, instead of cutting it neatly). I made sure I approached these in the same way as the drawings in my sketchbooks, playing with mark-making and not being too concerned about accuracy.
I’m not sure if these paintings are actually good. They are experiments, really, and working like this outside of my sketchbooks feels very new to me. I suppose it’s because I have been making work which is very finely detailed for years. It feels a bit scary to putting new work like this out into the world and sometimes I don’t want to share it at all. To keep it just for me, even for a little while. But I think getting out of my comfort zone and showing it to people is helpful.
And, I have even taken it a step further and have made these pieces available to purchase on my website. I have no idea if anyone is going to want to buy them, but I might as well test the water with it and see.
I really like the freedom in these studies Fiona. I think you've really captured the 'feel' of gorse, as when you see it, your eyes absorb the whole thing - the colour first, that punchy golden yellow, and the textures - as opposed to honing in on tiny details. And, as someone else here said, I can feel a progression in these studies, as you're honing in on what you want to capture too. I particularly like the second last and last paintings.
I'm looking forward to seeing what else you're drawn to as we move into this new season... ✨
Your studies are lovely! Full of movement and you can see with each drawing you’re changing things and keeping others. It feels like you’re really honing in on what you like and enjoying.