Painting at the Allotments

Painting in the Allotments for the Noble Poor at St Cross is a privilege every year, but this was the first time I have painted another painter painting. The result is meaningful to me because it captures the special atmosphere of the place itself. Rather than my usual practice of allowing myself to be seduced by the wonderfully heady juxtapositions of the plants and familiar allotment furnishings, I resisted the riot of colours and limited my pallet by choosing a slightly scrubby bit with some rather unkempt sunflowers. By not celebrating the individual sections of shape and colour I tried to unify things, making the figure part of the landscape, suggesting the watchfulness of the little row of cottages on the allotment border.