Lawn At Dawn

18”X14” - Oil on canvas

Lawn à l'aube

45.7 cm X 35.6 cm - Huile sur toile

"The Lawn" in Swindon (Wiltshire) had a natural spring and was a settlement since Stone Age. In the 18th Century, the Goddard family had a fine mansion built on the land. The whole parkland was landscaped and the ornamental lakes created. Fitzroy Goddard was the last occupant of the mansion which remained unoccupied for many years after his death in 1927. The land was bought by Swindon in 1946, but the house had deteriorated so much that it had to be destroyed in 1952. Only the remains of the sunken garden, the ice house and a flight of steps leading to the meadows can be seen today.

This painting was executed on site in August 2005. I started around 7:00 a.m. and completed the first stage in couples of hours. The painting was then reworked and finished in the studio. The lights and colours are so subtle at this time of the day that no photograph would do them justice.