SONG OF AUGUST BY GILL BUSTAMANTE

Song of August is an oil painting of a magical summer landscape with birds and flowers by a lake. It has a real impact when seen from a distance as it is the sort of painting you feel you can walk into. The edges are built up of layers of greens, purples and blues like overlapping leaves and foliage and through these leaves you can see a glittering lake and distant trees. To the right are two white egrets who are woven into the landscape or are maybe even being formed by it. In the foreground are an abundance of brightly coloured wildflowers with the sparkling water of the green lake behind and between them.

This painting was made by building up many different layers of colour one over the other so that though it is clear what it is, the style itself is abstract and contemporary. It was inspired by many walks I took this summer around the various mill ponds and fishing lakes that are common in the Sussex area. It is also a nod to the huge Monet waterlilies paintings murals which are similarly large and hard to make sense of up close but are very clear from a distance and make you want to be there when you see them. My intention in painting this was to create an impression of August on a sunny day that I could keep forever. I see magic in such scenes and in nature and it is was a challenge to capture flavour of it.