The rapeseed fields flash neon yellow at this time of the year. They started blooming weeks ago, at the end of April, and I’ve been thinking of visiting this spot ever since. Finally last weekend I managed.

These are more like quick notes than finished art, which is exactly what I want to make right now. I could keep it even simpler, and go all in on the pencil sketches, like the first one. Focus on knocking out 10 on each walk, like I see Ohn Mar Win doing.

I’ve also been watching a lot of Nina Price’s Youtube channel lately. She’s a young painter from Shetland whose creative process really resonates with me. She takes notes in the field which she references exclusively (instead of photographs) when she beings to paint, relying on memory for colour and working in many iterations, with a mindset of abundance (ie. that she can make many versions that are expendable, to build up to larger work). Her channel is relatively new and full of an “at the beginning of my journey” energy, which feels really encouraging to me. It’s where I want to be.

This sunny weather has me all sorts of inspired and I also impulse-painted a sunset view of the back gardens. It needed some rescuing with pencils and crayons in the end, but I’m trying to practice just going in with the gouache without fear, painting the big shapes and an impression of colour, instead of making it accurate.

I sort of like it. It makes my heart happy. And that’s all it needs to do right now.