Umber Underpainting – Building atmosphere and energy beneath the light
Work in Progress Entry
February 2025
Painting Title: Fleeting Freedom
WIP Stage: Early Layers → Mid-Development
Canvas Size: 24 x 18 inches
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Series: God’s Rope - Golden Thread Collection
📖 Story from the Studio
This painting began with the image of a horse caught between two worlds - running not away from anything, but toward the invisible call of something sacred. Before the colour ever touched the canvas, I sketched her in charcoal, letting the movement find its own rhythm. Even then, she already felt alive.
The first wash brought in the earth tones - Transparent Brown Oxide, Yellow Ochre, touches of teal where the water and light will eventually meet. I let the drips stay where they fell. They felt like part of the story instead of something to hide.
Once the sky came in - soft greys, rose-touched clouds, and hints of cobalt - the birds began to reveal themselves. They’re not just companions to the horse. They’re messengers. Guides. Guardians of the threshold between body and spirit.
As the horse deepened into dark blues and violets, she stopped feeling grounded and began to feel suspended - almost weightless. The freedom now isn’t a physical escape, but a spiritual release. A moment caught between stillness and flight.
The golden thread hasn’t appeared yet, but I already feel where it will belong: not tied to reins, but floating near her mane, following her movement like a quiet promise.
🔍 What’s Next
Glazing the horse’s coat to refine light + muscle definition
Adding soft reflections in the water below her
Painting the golden spiritual thread in thin, glowing strokes
Final pass on hummingbirds (light, detail, motion)
🎨 Colours Used So Far
Transparent Brown Oxide
Yellow Ochre
Ultramarine Blue
Quinacridone Rose
Indian Yellow
Cobalt Teal
Alizarin Crimson
Some freedom isn’t loud. It doesn’t kick down gates or demand an audience. Some freedom is simply knowing when it’s time to run — and trusting the path appears beneath you.
In 2017, I began feeding a stray Arabian Mau cat outside my home in the Middle East. I named him Sparta after the film 300 because he guarded my doorway like a warrior. One day, when a vicious dog lunged towards me, Sparta stepped in front of me and faced the dog himself. By the time I returned to England in 2020, I already knew I could never leave him behind.