These pieces grew out of an extraordinary period of stillness. Like so many people, I found myself turning to nature when the world went quiet — the birdsong suddenly louder, the urge to plant seeds almost irresistible. There was something primal in it: a need to tend, to nurture, to focus on what was within reach and within our care.

At first the studio felt distant. It was only through the garden — through the slow rhythm of growing things — that my instinct to paint gradually returned. Nature became the bridge back to the work, and the work, in turn, became a way of honouring that experience. Immersed in the beauty of what was growing around me, I found myself returning to the painted natural world of the Dutch Masters and the Renaissance, influences that have long shaped my practice. This collection is a quiet homage to that rare, restorative time.