Painting inside or out?

Painting inside or out? I often do a bit of both before I end up with a finished piece of work! The ideas for my paintings might start off in my sketchbook, either with detailed drawings, colour notes, or very quick sketches. Often I just work directly onto canvas with paint and this may be in the studio or outside using direct observation, sometimes to be finished off with more layers when I’m back home. This is a ‘plein air’ painting that I started at Dale Farm Gardens in Dereham - a beautiful place to visit. The next morning I finished it off in the studio, but as always during my process I may decide to do more to it later, after I’ve lived with it for a while. But I always try to keep the ‘fresh’ impression and mood of the day when I began.

I also began a painting of the lake while I was there and will come back to this one later when I have time to complete it.

Meanwhile, back in the studio, I’ve spent a few days working on this large painting on canvas (all of these are in oil), this one 1 metre wide x 75cm tall. Working and wandering around my garden in between painting sessions I am constantly struck by ever changing colours, shapes, sounds and my emotional response to these, and this is what I try to bring to the work.