An Ode to the Farming Industry of Dorset’s Countryside
As the busy season approaches, just before the harvest of wheat and barley, the Dorset countryside comes alive with a unique vibrancy. The wheat fields, in particular, present a remarkable challenge to capture artistically due to their complex interplay of colors, textures, and the intense, often harsh, summer sunlight.
Summer, often regarded as Mother Nature’s season of “eye candy,” offers an extraordinary palette of hues, shadows, and textures that shift and evolve throughout the day. Over the course of a week, I immersed myself in these fields, observing the subtle variations in light and atmosphere from dawn to dusk.
Ultimately, I found myself most drawn to the fullness of the summer light at midday. The brevity or absence of shadows at this time serves to simplify the landscape, distilling its essence in a way that resonates deeply with me. It is this clarity and luminosity that I strive to convey in my paintings—a tribute to the enduring spirit and tireless rhythm of Dorset’s farming heritage.