2024
Painting dimension
50 × 40 × 2 cm
Medium
Acrylic and mixed media
Materials / support
Acrylic and textured mixed media on stretched canvas
Warm autumnal foliage meets the dark surface of a woodland stream, while reflected light and drifting mist soften the boundary between water, vegetation and shadow.
The painting is one of a series of three inspired by a walk around Ushers Lake in Swords, Co. Dublin, in November 2020. On that particular day, the late-autumn light had an extraordinary quality: low, diffused and almost luminous as it passed through the woodland and caught the remaining leaves and the surface of the water. It was a quality of light I have rarely experienced there before or since, despite walking the route almost daily. The work was developed from digitally prepared source material before being extensively worked by hand with acrylic paint and textured media.
In Late Autumn Light, the emphasis is on the meeting of water, foliage and shadow — the warmth of the fallen leaves contrasting with the darkness of the stream and the soft, almost mist-like light beyond.