Thanks to all those who have commented on my recent work. The landscapes are a bit of a departure from my usual wildlife paintings and allow a greater freedom. I hope to paint my local woods over one year - Broughton in North Lincs - recording the changes over the seasons. Looking forward to the arrival of wood anenome, marsh marigolds and wild garlic, not to mention migrant birds. The wildlife is very present, but implied rather than represented. Natural collage comprises bits of leaf litter, bark, fern etc. I apply it with acrylic gel medium and then re-coat it with the same medium once the painting is dry. I scrape into the wet paint with twigs and cocktail sticks or apply the paint with my finger or a palette knife. Brush work is minimal. Very inspired by Darren Woodhead's approach to nature painting - a lovely chap I was lucky enough to meet at the birdfair last year - which is about getting into the wild. The fun of plein air painting, I have re-discovered, is as much about sitting in the mud and mulch with a numb bum, while nature gets on with life, as it is about making marks on paper.