I painted this view of my garden after planting more trees and wild flowers over the winter, and creating a mound as a nod to the ancient burial mounds which dot the English landscape where I now live, and the landscape of my childhood in North Wales. The process of re-creating my garden inspired me to resume large scale studio painting after many years, and this was the first of these paintings. My garden is now a constant inspiration. The mound was still almost bare earth in places back then, and now, changing with the seasons, it buzzes with life.
This view from my studio window captures a brief moment one cold February morning as the sun rose and turned the sky golden. I was transfixed by the light effects on the houses across the street, as the sun moved over the sky. I wanted to share a sense of deep calm and simple joy in the daybreak. The song of the same title played on repeat in my head while I painted this.
