As the seasons come and go, nature takes a path of its own. Magical arrays of colour fill the petals of surrounding flora, the bees sing to the sound of whistling winds, the leaves begin to crisp like crimson as the cooler months settle in. A natural transformation that inspires us all - through mind, body and spirit.
Here at Oak Meadow, we are continually inspired by the way nature’s palette can bloom in enchanting ways. It is our passion to express the way this makes us feel, to reflect onto the clothing we design - the truest of beauty that surrounds our every day lives.
Sue Fenlon, a talented and inspiring Artist from Northumberland, North East England, captures this feeling in her artworks. The captivating beauty of seasonal changes through colours, textures and emotions, conveying the message of memory and feeling in a single piece of art. The majority of our designs are pulled from the colours Sue portrays and the way she captures memory from sight to canvas in the most alluring way.
Q. You capture emotion in your work, if so why? I am an emotional painter.
A.There is a point when I’m working with all the sketches, photographs and wildflowers, used for reference in painting, where I set them aside and the heart takes over. I think and hope the emotional side of a painting can touch someone and mean something - a happy one.
We spoke with Sue to hear more about her journey and process with seasonal art and how she was initially inspired to create the magic she does.
Q. What inspires you to use the colour palettes that you do?
A. My biggest inspiration is from nature through the changing seasons. I live overlooking the estuary in a small coastal village in Northumberland, where I can walk from my house to a studio I have on the beach. All of my paintings come from the walks I take, reflecting the current season or weather at the time. Each day can be different and I love to see the wildflowers appearing in the meadows or hedgerows. As the year goes by, the colours of the wildflowers change, snow drops appearing after a cold winter and daisies later in the summer. I try to paint the colours and textures that each of these seasons bring.
A. My biggest inspiration is from nature through the changing seasons. I live overlooking the estuary in a small coastal village in Northumberland, where I can walk from my house to a studio I have on the beach. All of my paintings come from the walks I take, reflecting the current season or weather at the time. Each day can be different and I love to see the wildflowers appearing in the meadows or hedgerows. As the year goes by, the colours of the wildflowers change, snow drops appearing after a cold winter and daisies later in the summer. I try to paint the colours and textures that each of these seasons bring.
Q. You capture emotion in your work, if so why? I am an emotional painter.
A.There is a point when I’m working with all the sketches, photographs and wildflowers, used for reference in painting, where I set them aside and the heart takes over. I think and hope the emotional side of a painting can touch someone and mean something - a happy one.
Q. How do you want a person to feel when viewing your art?
A. Hopefully I can portray my love of nature in its wildest form and how we as humans are a part of nature too. I paint in layers, as I see life in layers. Hedgerows are the little snapshots of the seasons. The landscape with its colours and textures. The wildflowers bring a sense of happiness. I always feel you have to fall in love with a painting for it to bring back memories.
A. Hopefully I can portray my love of nature in its wildest form and how we as humans are a part of nature too. I paint in layers, as I see life in layers. Hedgerows are the little snapshots of the seasons. The landscape with its colours and textures. The wildflowers bring a sense of happiness. I always feel you have to fall in love with a painting for it to bring back memories.
As most of you know, our designs are hand drawn by our team here at Oak Meadow and we are truly fascinated by the way, Artist Sue Fenlon, captures feeling in her work. Sue gives us that sense of belonging to something and inspires us to create our florals the way that we do, using the dreamiest of colours to make any woman wearing our garments feel one of a kind. Mother Earth and her beauty serve such a big purpose in all our lives and to be able to capture this through our clothes is phenomenal.
A big thank you to Sue Fenlon for not only inspiring Oak Meadow Clothing, but for taking part in this weeks journal entry. It has been an absolute pleasure hearing your story and for allowing us to feature your beautiful self and art on our blog.
A gentle reminder to all, “ Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” - Albert Einstein.
Until next time, Oak Meadow. x
