Katy Alston

View from the Garden

Pigments, Tempera
Panel
34 x 25 cm

£750

“I have looked at this humble view for almost thirty years and I wanted to record it. Life in rural Shropshire moves at a slower pace than much of the country. The old trailer has been rotting in the field for years and my hens have taken over from the farmer’s hens. The massive tree stumps and trunks are another form of recorded time. 

The tractor trails have been there a long time too, written again and again and filled with water, contrasting with the shorter life of the blackbird and hens. I felt I was making the marks on the fields again as I painted, just like the fields are ploughed and drilled time and time again. 

The gateways are like this, older fields changing use with time, gates becoming redundant. A lot of the old ironmongery on the gates remains, celebrating the work of the local blacksmiths. 

I learnt to use gesso and gild some years ago, loving the process. Painting in egg tempera seems a natural medium for me. It is slow and patiently building layers gives you plenty of time for reflection, whilst the white of the ground gives a beautiful glow.”