Rain
When my gardener, Lee Norbury from Plants Lets Grow, invited me to contribute to his Hampton Court Flower Show 2024 display, I was thrilled to be involved. He challenged me to create five unique pieces of art, each representing one of the five senses—taste, smell, touch, sight, and hearing.
Coming up with a concept for sound was particularly tricky, but then inspiration struck—rain. Rain is deeply connected to plant life and produces a wide range of sounds depending on its intensity. Here in the UK, it can batter, splatter, sleet, drip, or spray, creating a symphony of nature’s own making.
To capture the shimmer and movement of rain, I first covered the entire canvas in silver foil, providing a reflective, dynamic base. My fluid paint palette included ivory, silver, grey, Payne’s grey, and shades of blue, which I applied in vertical streaks, deliberately leaving some areas open to let the foil gleam through—an effect that worked beautifully.
The finishing touch? Resin droplets, carefully collected and repurposed from previous resin pieces, some carrying hints of colour. These 3D elements enhance the realism of raindrops, while a final high-gloss resin coat adds the perfect touch of wet-look brilliance.
Though the painting features soft, muted tones, it uses innovative techniques to create a piece with depth, presence, and a striking yet delicate impact.
✨ Acrylic on stretched canvas with resin finish, 40cm square x 1.5cm depth.
When my gardener, Lee Norbury from Plants Lets Grow, invited me to contribute to his Hampton Court Flower Show 2024 display, I was thrilled to be involved. He challenged me to create five unique pieces of art, each representing one of the five senses—taste, smell, touch, sight, and hearing.
Coming up with a concept for sound was particularly tricky, but then inspiration struck—rain. Rain is deeply connected to plant life and produces a wide range of sounds depending on its intensity. Here in the UK, it can batter, splatter, sleet, drip, or spray, creating a symphony of nature’s own making.
To capture the shimmer and movement of rain, I first covered the entire canvas in silver foil, providing a reflective, dynamic base. My fluid paint palette included ivory, silver, grey, Payne’s grey, and shades of blue, which I applied in vertical streaks, deliberately leaving some areas open to let the foil gleam through—an effect that worked beautifully.
The finishing touch? Resin droplets, carefully collected and repurposed from previous resin pieces, some carrying hints of colour. These 3D elements enhance the realism of raindrops, while a final high-gloss resin coat adds the perfect touch of wet-look brilliance.
Though the painting features soft, muted tones, it uses innovative techniques to create a piece with depth, presence, and a striking yet delicate impact.
✨ Acrylic on stretched canvas with resin finish, 40cm square x 1.5cm depth.
When my gardener, Lee Norbury from Plants Lets Grow, invited me to contribute to his Hampton Court Flower Show 2024 display, I was thrilled to be involved. He challenged me to create five unique pieces of art, each representing one of the five senses—taste, smell, touch, sight, and hearing.
Coming up with a concept for sound was particularly tricky, but then inspiration struck—rain. Rain is deeply connected to plant life and produces a wide range of sounds depending on its intensity. Here in the UK, it can batter, splatter, sleet, drip, or spray, creating a symphony of nature’s own making.
To capture the shimmer and movement of rain, I first covered the entire canvas in silver foil, providing a reflective, dynamic base. My fluid paint palette included ivory, silver, grey, Payne’s grey, and shades of blue, which I applied in vertical streaks, deliberately leaving some areas open to let the foil gleam through—an effect that worked beautifully.
The finishing touch? Resin droplets, carefully collected and repurposed from previous resin pieces, some carrying hints of colour. These 3D elements enhance the realism of raindrops, while a final high-gloss resin coat adds the perfect touch of wet-look brilliance.
Though the painting features soft, muted tones, it uses innovative techniques to create a piece with depth, presence, and a striking yet delicate impact.
✨ Acrylic on stretched canvas with resin finish, 40cm square x 1.5cm depth.