Harvesting in Fyfeshire 1927

This is a watercolor by James McBey and it feels so fresh, doesn’t it? Look at the thin washes of color, the quick strokes defining the trees, the field. I can just imagine McBey standing there, trying to capture a sense of place in a fleeting moment, maybe with the wind picking up and the light changing fast, and the harvesters getting on with their work. The paint is so fluid, so transparent. There’s a lightness here, a feeling of being present, like a visual diary entry. It’s not overworked, it’s more about capturing the mood. And those dark strokes, they really give the composition definition. It reminds me of other landscape painters who tried to capture the fleeting effects of weather. It’s like they’re all in a big conversation across time, learning from each other, pushing the boundaries of what paint can do. For me, painting is about taking a chance, embracing the messy and unpredictable. This little painting is like a permission slip to do just that.