Thorn Trees on a Breconshire Hillside 1904

Henry William Banks Davis captured this Breconshire hillside with oil on canvas. I can imagine him, squinting in the sun, trying to capture that specific light on the sheep's wool. I bet he mixed a bunch of ochre and white, maybe a touch of burnt umber for the shadows. It's so painterly, you know? You can practically feel the texture of the grass and the blossoms. And that big old tree, all in bloom, must have taken ages to get right, dotting each little flower so carefully. The colours must have shifted over the hours, the shadows stretching and shrinking, the breeze through the tree. You can see him, out there, en plein air, battling the elements, trying to freeze a moment in time. That's the thing about painting, it's not just about what you see, it's about the whole experience, the smells, the sounds, the feeling of the brush in your hand, the light changing, you trying to catch it.