Some days you are fortunate- you find the birds and they stick around. January 5th 2025, minus 5 degrees was one such day. It was spent wrapped up, kneeling in my van, sketching frenetically the thousands of Pink footed geese as they fed on the barley stubble. Page upon page of line and soft pastel sketches were created. All of a sudden something spooked them and in a flash the roar of the wings and their alarm calls filled the air as they, almost as one, became airborne- a mass of white tails and beating wings. The image stayed with me and from it has come this painting, the centre piece of a series. Spooked portrays so much more than a photograph – with energy, movement and confusion as birds launch into the air. Working in oils on an acrylic ground, the painting comprises multiple layers, painted on, scraped back, re applied, to become a feast of colour, line and texture. The palette limited to the frozen colours of the January day.