Plein-air painting
Oil on linen-faced board in a light wood tray frame 18 x 24 cm (21 x 27 cm frame
I was drawn to the colour of the tree and only later appreciated the intricacies of the 17th century sundial, with its turquoise weathered metal gnomons. Its stillness counterpointed the flurries of falling leaves - my initial underpainting had far more leaves! At first the day seemed strangely dark and still - I later heard there had been a partial eclipse before the bright sky appeared.