2026
Painting dimension
60 x 80 x 2 cm
Medium
Acrylic and mixed media
Materials / support
Acrylic and textured mixed media on stretched canvas
An exploration of regeneration, natural decay and changing light within an Irish woodland.
The painting developed from a 24-hour vigil in a native woodland in County Wicklow in May 2026. During that period, I returned to the same areas of woodland every few hours, observing how the character of the woods changed as the sun moved across the sky.
The subject is an old tree stump gradually being reclaimed by moss, vegetation and the woodland floor. Rather than seeing the stump simply as something dead or decaying, it became a small illustration of the continuous cycle of a native woodland: growth, decline, decomposition and renewal. The work was developed from digitally prepared source material before being extensively worked by hand with acrylic paint and textured media.
This larger painting captures the stump towards dusk, as the available light was beginning to fade. Colours deepen, forms become less distinct and the woodland begins to close in around the subject, giving the scene a quieter and more contemplative character.