Summer Solstice in the City
In these extreme temperatures, I’ve been staying at home, updating my website with new paintings and photographs, editing photographs from our Peak District holiday earlier this month, drafting this blog post, and pottering around at a slower pace. It’s simply too hot for painting; the paint would dry before it even reached the canvas!
On Sunday, I got up early to watch the sunrise from our top-floor apartment. The colours were beautiful, and I found myself thinking about all the people gathering at Stonehenge and other ancient places to welcome the same sunrise. To mark the solstice and celebrate the new season, I went on a photowalk to capture some of the flora and fauna around my neighbourhood.
Much of my work celebrates the energy and joy of the natural world, so I often find myself holding two feelings at once: marvelling at the abundance of life and colour around me while also feeling concerned about the environmental changes unfolding locally and around the world. The two are inseparable, and I hope to explore them further in my work.
I’m glad I ventured out into the heat to enjoy this moment of beauty. I especially loved the meadow of pink wild orchids in my local park, although the camera-shy butterflies remained just out of reach. Wishing you a wonderful season ahead.
