There is something glorious about the last hour of a summer evening - the way the light turns to those gorgeous gold tones, the way it catches the rough texture of hay bales and sets the whole field on fire.
I didn't plan this painting in advance. I started with the rhythm of the composition - the low horizon, the weight of the sky, the scattered geometry of the bales - and from that point, it was all instinct, experience, and discovery. Fully imagined scene based on my trips to the countryside.
The Light Narrative
What I was really painting wasn't the hay bales at all. It was the light falling across them - the way it pooled in the shadows, bounced off the golden straw, and dissolved into the haze of the horizon. That's always the story. The subject is just where the light chooses to land.
The palette was warm and saturated: cadmium reds, oranges, ochres, a touch of violet in the shadows to push the warmth of the light even further. Impressionism gives you permission to feel the scene rather than copy it - and that's exactly what this painting asked for.
Watch the Full Process - Real Time
I filmed the entire painting session live, in real time - no edits, no cuts, just the canvas and the light and the process unfolding. If you've ever wondered what it actually looks like to paint from instinct rather than a plan, this is it.
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A Few Notes on the Process
- No preparatory sketches - I drew the rhythm of the composition directly onto the canvas
- Painted wet-into-wet in the sky to keep the light soft and atmospheric
- The foreground was kept loose and gestural to push the eye toward the light on the horizon
- This is a great starting point to the second session when I will finalise it with some final touches when the initial layers is dry.
Every painting is a first-time experience.
This one was a memory of a summer evening, painted with curiosity and excitement, and I hope you can feel that in every brushstroke.
Artists are like moths. All there is to us, is light.
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