"Forest In Sunlight"

9 x 12"

Oil on canvas

Sometimes I know exactly what I want to paint and other times I find myself waiting around until inspiration or an idea strikes. The latter was the case for this painting, which I finished today. I had originally planned on doing another portrait painting, and had gotten as far as choosing a subject, but when it came to getting started my enthusiasm seemed to just evaporate. I put the canvas away and instead started browsing through some old photos from last year. I found one from our summer holiday in Dumfries when we visited Caerlaverock Castle. Behind the castle there is woodland which you can walk through and which hides the site of the original castle.

The photograph was the spark I needed and I used it as a basic reference to do this painting. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. I think the dark shapes of the trees against the dappled light coming through from the background makes for quite a strong composition.

I found myself taking photos of the painting at various intervals as it developed, more for my own benefit really, but I thought people might like to see for themselves, so I decided to post them up. If you're interested, take a look at the new demo page I've added and feel free to ask any questions you might have.