18th July 2026

Due to my Aphantasia i am always looking to find explanations with my painting and drawing which is created automatically and then i respond to what emerges. Hilma Af Klint from the age of 60 began creating wet on wet watercolours and expressed a feeling of “Hidden Forces” which revealed an image from her application of paint. I feel that there are hidden forces within me which i connect to , a form of knowing , maybe something ancestral which not only drives my painting but reveals something of my spirit. Sometimes painting is not emotional response to the world but deeply symbolic of our own uniqueness , that i am painting a portrait of myself. I feel those “hidden forces” are similar to Carl Jungs “Synchronicities” and the image emerging is the universes response to our intentions.

It goes deeper and stranger , Robin Wall Kimmerer describes a Anishinaabe language word “ Puhpowee “ as the force which causes mushrooms to push from the earth overnight. This to me is the same , especially as i consider my brain condition of being like the dark soil in which light emerges. I like the feeling that the same forces which helps nature emerge are manifesting my painting.

Learning about this helps me understand myself deeper and although it does not help describing to most people and i still feel like a fake when doing so. But, i know that some people regardless of brain functionality understand it , some even deeper than myself.

We are told that what we do is not who we really are , but i think that even though painting does not define me it certainly reveals me. What reveals you ?

Bull Crag Peninsular

Nature is the place to go when you feel unheard , unseen or just plainly not fitting it. You realise that what you do not fit into is human constructs and not life itself. It is difficult at times and i experience it a lot of feeling out of synch with the system and the people within it.

Mother earth holds you , loves you and there is space to be you unconditionally. It is a place where you realise it isn’t you but people controlling for their own benefit. I struggle , get frustrated and angry but when i return back to nature i realise forcing something is unnatural and the truth is to leave alone and shine somewhere else.

Be magnificent like the thistle and make a point of standing proud of what you do rather than compromise and lose your authenticity. Be weird and peculiar , be ethereal like grass and just emerge for a moment in time like the horse chestnut. The more people decide they do not want to fit in which i assume are more that do and sing outwardly your strangeness is not strange after all but just different.

Bakethin Nature Reserve

Colour is up-lifting of our spirit and going out into the summers nature rewards us with joy and delight. Those light colour waves soak into our nervous system and open up our hearts to be more receptive to life.

Each of us experiences colour differently and through mindfulness we can get closer to that feeling when we see colour. To be with it , inquire into it and bring our attention to its vibrancy whilst being in grounded stillness connects us deeply. Do not just assume from the internet what “yellow” is , but experience it , touch it and feel it.

I love photographing grasses and i will never understand a culture which just wants novelty and cannot deeply enquire into beauty of natures forms. Nor , dismiss a picture of something that has diminished over a AI fake nature image.

Give me messy and real anytime.

Grasses are so elegant , subtle and peaceful within their presence and they just flow with the wind and yield as large plants multiply beside them. For something which created civilisations their strength is so graceful and giving. For me , i love to capture them in my photographs.

What i love about nature is that there are levels of commitment and it still gives love back but the greater the devotion you give it mirrors back towards you. There is a journey of discovery not just of investigation of nature but an inner spirit joining forces of a lost connection.

What is so valuable is seeing how our indigenous treat nature as their family and the deep connection they have to it. We know from this that its innate within us , it just needs work to reveal it. Therapy is not required to do this , Gurus and Guides are not required , Just some mindfulness and intention to connect back. It is not from books but from going out and experiencing it for yourself as thats where you build from.

I love the scrappiness of the verges with flowers in all conditions nestling together as a little community putting on a yearly show. When you begin to see it then you will throw away the perfectionism of life and be more relaxed in showing true love and friendship.

In the Wild , Painting

An energetc vibration

of nature witheld in

my body speaks its way

to the paper

christopher evans

Watercolour on 33 ×50 cm Fabrinno Paper

Hareshaw Linn

One person commented that the photograph reminded them of Rivendell in The Lord of the Rings and it did occur to me this at the time. I am sure that as i passed Elves and Fairies were watching. Maybe a Pixie or two huddling in one of the spaces within the rock wall.

There is definitely magic dust being sprinkled along the verges and deep into the woodland and i want to soak that magic right up into my soul as i wander slowly and intentionally to seek beauty.

Remember that the beauty you seek already exists within you and nature is just showing you whats in your heart already. To open up this portal of wonder you need to let go of thinking , cultural idioms and what others say especially on social media. It is a worthy journey

I certainly have a cow parslely fixation and i love how the flower heads span out like a cone but are like large plates from the top. I love the variations of colours and how it stands tall in the against the sky creating its form. There is more heed in folklore as its twin Hemlock is very poisonous and accidentally choosing the wrong plants will be fatal. It is said that bringing it into homes would be un-lucky but i think they are strikingly beautiful but just be aware which one you are bringing in if you have children or pets. Like lot of native plants they are linked with fairies and liminal portals and you can feel an energy when you give time to be with them.

Here comes the new Hawthorn berries , it almost feels quite magical in the transformation of remaining berries disappearing almost at the same time new ones form. Now its watching their transformation from an idea into nourishment for the creatures of the woodland. Consciousness has ideas of love , of nourishment and creates a world that includes so everything flourishes.