Nature Unleashed is a very large oil painting on canvas of an exuberant Sussex wildflower meadow featuring the South Downs, swallows, and poppies. The style is semi-abstract and art nouveau and is very vibrant and colourful. It was inspired by walks taken in fields and woodlands around the South Downs in summer when the wildflowers are at their best, and the poppies, in particular, stand out against the green grass and reeds.

The scene shows an abundance of flowers in the foreground, trees, and fields leading off into the distance behind them. Two barn swallows swoop over the flowers, and you can see the patterns their motion makes. Swallows are birds you often see in Sussex, and they are very much woven into the landscape of summer. The painting was made from memory using reference photos to add small details here and there. Memory painting tends to reflect how I felt about a place I have been to rather than ‘realistic’ details as such, and I like this way of working.

What I feel about an English Sussex summer is that it is beautiful and wild and I am happy I caught this feeling and in such a large canvas! The edges are dark green and it is ready to hang, without the need for frame.

Dimensions: 72 x 48 x 1.5 inches.