When I think of the new series I’m working on, I go “squee” in my head. It presents seemingly infinite possibilities and at this moment right now I want to paint them all. Having said that, I have zero track-record with sticking to a cohesive theme with my paintings so there’s every possibility this new-found obsession will last another 3 seconds.

Nope, still obsessed! I had a positively gleeful time sketching my way through January, coming up with ideas for the new series. At the beginning of February I found myself with a full sketchbook and the tricky business of having to choose between three potential series. After a day or so of paralysing indecision I decided to put it aside for a few days and focus on other things. When I came back to the matter after about a week off, I found there was one series in particular that still gripped my imagination.

I realise this is a rather dramatic shift in style from my previous artwork. To me, this is a very good thing. I blogged about getting intentional about my style a month ago and I feel like this new series of work addresses the things that were bugging me.

The mood I want to convey with these slightly fantastical tree swings is one of a forgotten childhood place. An ethereal place where the veil between this world and somewhere more magical is thin. A little bit sad and forlorn yet still very beautiful. When I envisage the colour scheme, I see deep plums, mustard yellows, burnt umber and warm greys.

I gave newsletter subscribers a sneak peak of the new series just over a week ago, so do sign up if you’re interested in getting timely news and exclusive in-progress peaks.