‘Garden Notes’ is a series of work I made ‘plein-air’ in my garden in the Summer of 2025. It was hot, we were experiencing a heatwave in South-West France with temperatures reaching as high as 40 degrees. The bright light accentuated colours and sharpened edges. The flowers were vigorous due to daily watering but the grass was dry and crisp, human intervention had caused a visual discrepancy through care and neglect. The heat was a challenge, as I mixed the paint it began drying out, almost before it could be used. I had to think fast from eye to hand, making decisions quickly. I enjoyed how the faster process varied my mark making. I began to use the paint thinly, working from light to dark and wet into wet or in my case newly dry. Heatwaves are now more common due to global climate change. I live between France and the UK and have certainly noticed a more extreme climate in my part of Europe.
