Gallerina Autumn Show

Astaea captures the abundant energy of my garden as it transitions into winter. The thick impasto layers of oil paint, gesso, and encaustic wax create a rich, textured surface, evoking the tapestry-like quality of the perennial border—where seed heads and foliage form in preparation for the frost, offering sustenance for the birds. The asters, fennel, and heleniums emerge from this layered surface, with some flowers gilded to catch the light, bringing an ethereal glow to the piece.

The dense, tactile surface reflects the garden’s flourishing energy, woven and celebrating both growth and the quiet beauty of decay. Each layer adds to the depth and complexity, mirroring the cycles of nature and the evolving patterns within the garden. Through Astaea, I seek to convey the sense of an ever-changing, living canvas, where the garden’s purpose continues even as it prepares for the stillness of winter. The painting becomes a testament to the garden’s ability to inspire and sustain, even in the midst of transformation.

Oil, gesso, raw pigment and encaustic wax on board in antique frame w 57 x h 84.5 cm (Framed in antique frame w 82 x h 107 cm)

Vibrant cerise peony flowers unfurl against shadows, the silouttes of date palm trees cast blue grey forms across white washed walls.

The work is inspired by the resplendent chiaroscuro and luminous qualities of the work of one of Seville’s lustrous Baroque artists ‘Bartolomé Esteban Murillo’, best known for his religious works but also capturing the soul and life of the place and people. in In particular after “Iconography of Porciúncula” - the miracle of celestial falling flowers from the heavens.

Oil and mixed media on Arches Oil Paper 130 w x 80 h cm unframed 145 w x 95 h cm framed

Apples gathered together, their forms overlapping and merging. Stillness as a form of devotion. The apples are brought together not for abundance or display, but to be held in a single moment of attention. The drawing holds collective presence — not individual objects, but a shared weight shaped by closeness and restraint.

Art Graf water-soluble pastel, walnut ink and graphite on paper 43 w x 30 h cm Unframed 52 w x 42 h cm Framed

Ceres is a gestural, impressionistic work on paper, created en plein air in my garden, capturing the fleeting moment of autumnal light as it dances across the perennial border I planted a year ago. In this piece, I’ve sought to convey the raw energy and fluidity of nature evoking the vibrant, evolving forms of the plants. The fennel fronds, Helenium 'Moerheim Beauty', and Echinops thistle emerge in bold, sweeping gestures, their forms suggested rather than defined. The interplay between soft washes and vigorous mark-making reflects the contrast between the quiet decay of autumn and the persistent energy of growth.

Through Ceres, I aim to capture not just the physicality of the plants, but their essence—their moment in time, caught in the ebb and flow of the seasons. The composition speaks to the transient nature of life, the energy of nature, and the meditative process of observing it in its purest, most unfiltered form.

Graphite and conte pastel drawing on Arches watercolour paper w 114 x h 76.5 cm (framed size w 134 x h 96.5 cm approx.)

The remaining forms of summer thin into memory. Petals loosen, colour fades, and what remains is held gently — a record of passing rather than loss. A point where abundance begins to ebb and attention sharpens. It is a painting of transition and endurance, holding the flower not at its height nor its conclusion, but in the subtle interval where vitality lingers and the season turns inward.

Pastel and acrylic on paper 50 h x 70 w cm Unframed 63 h x 93.5 w cm Framed

Not an ending, but a gathering of what lingers. This work attends to the residue of warmth, colour, and light after the flowers peak has passed, holding them with care rather than nostalgia. It is a painting about continuity — how abundance leaves traces that still sustain. A single quince anchors the composition.

Oil, mixed media and gesso on paper 50 h x 70 w cm Unframed 63 h x 93.5 w cm Frame

An unexpected moment in the garden — different poppy varieties rising together. The weather has tangled them, bending and interlacing stems, yet their arrival feels urgent and celebratory, a signal that summer has begun to assert itself. There is a sense of surprise, of growth arriving unannounced, carrying both fragility and momentum. The shifting of seasons.

Pastel and acrylic on paper 50 w x 70 h cm Unframed 63 w x 93.5 h cm Framed

The rain has passed and the garden begins to right itself. The blooms are no longer weighed down but not yet still, caught in a quiet re-ordering as petals lift, settle and re-find their place. What matters here is balance regained rather than perfection — a sense of lightness returning, of forms breathing again after pressure.

Pastel and acrylic on paper 50 w x 70 h cm Unframed 63 w x 93.5 h cm Framed

Freshly opened poppies are unsettled by a sudden change in weather. Movement fractures the blooms, leaving vulnerability exposed and energy alive to the elements.

Pastel and acrylic on paper 50 w x 70 h cm Unframed 63 w x 93.5 h cm Framed