On a Sussex Farm 1904

James Charles made this painting, 'On a Sussex Farm,' with oil on canvas. Look at the brushstrokes, so light and airy! The sky is a mix of soft blues and creams, and you can almost feel the breeze. I can imagine Charles standing there, squinting in the sun, trying to capture that exact moment. The cows are like these blobs of color, some standing, some lounging – you can almost smell the grass and the, uh, well, you know. The paint isn’t too thick, but it's enough to give everything a kind of lumpy texture that is full of light. The way he painted that big tree, it’s like he's showing you how the light filters through the leaves. You see, painting is just so much about seeing. When I look at this, I feel part of a long line of painters trying to capture something real, something fleeting, in paint. It's an ongoing conversation, this painting thing.