Every now and then I try my hand at painting in oils en plein air. This year I’m producing a handful of small paintings around the local arable farm that I have become familiar with over a couple of decades now.

Here I’ve included a new picture with a couple of older ones, and it’s interesting to see that although my approach is essentially the same (bish, bash, bosh…fell on the canvas without any effort), I’ve got a little bolder and more fluid with the brushwork but I am still slightly indecisive over the foreground.  Practice and persevere, I say.

Morning After Harvest
This picture was painted after the sun had risen and burnt off the mist, but is still low in the sky, off to the left. The raw sienna ground helps with the glowing light effect. If I were to do this again, I may treat the foreground slightly differently, more linear, and not get dazzled by the detail of upright wheat stalks forming their irresistible pattern.

 Farm track before rain
This oil was painted on board in 1991 on the same arable farm. It is June and the crop in the field is still green. There is a muggy atmosphere, becoming gloomy as the wind is beginning to blow in the hazel trees on the left. A thundery shower is on its way.

Still a favourite of mine although the foreground is painted a little thinly and indecisively, and maybe a little more sandy track just visible on the left would have helped.

 Sheep in the Orchard
This picture shows the old farm apple orchard with a couple of sheep taking life easy in the shade. The blossom and dappled light have been suggested by many dabs and touches, the painting took several hours to complete in one session, and I “fixed” the sheep in place early on as I anticipated they would get up and move off, which they did.