Once a year starting in November, RHS Garden Harlow Carr in Harrogate is illuminated with lights in a spectrum of bright colours. Lights are directed at the trees, bushes, sculptures and buildings to add magic and mystery, as the viewers wander round the garden at night.
I love this spectacle and with a luxury Bettys Hot Chocolate in hand, it is a highlight of my year. A particularly iconic feature of the garden is the two willow Boxing Hares which I spied on my search for inspiration for a night time painting here.
Having sketched them and taken photographs, I set about capturing the glowing colours and these hares. Using acrylic paints for the background I used the colours: - Payne’s Grey and French Ultramarine Blue. Then using bright colours to replicate the lights, I created the ‘glowing’ buses and trees dipping the ends of fallen twigs into fluorescent paint and applying to the thick watercolour paper.
To create the hares, I used my favourite medium, gouache paint. It is a thick, opaque watercolour of a creamy consistency which glides onto the paper. Glitter and splashes of colour complete the composition as the Hares ‘glow’ against a dark backdrop.
The finished painting has been made into Limited Edition Prints in three different sizes from £55. Greetings cards are also available £3 each.
Buy online via my website here, free delivery for Limited Edition Prints in UK, or visit the RHS Garden Harlow Carr Shop in Harrogate where the prints and cards are stocked along with a range of other paintings I have created at the garden.
My background to painting outside stems from early childhood. No matter what the weather - I'll always try and paint outside of my studio to capture the subject matter be it animals, landscapes or as is often the case - a combination!
Beautiful autumn colouring this year inspired me to capture the cherry trees on the stray in Harrogate - slightly windy conditions made the outdoors challenging but well worth the effort - !
Had a fabulous time at the gardens of Monet in the tranquil village of Giverny. Made all the more exciting when a massive storm hit the village the evening we arrived - ended up eating my Sea Bass in a plate full of rainwater..... as the restaurant got deluged!
Anita Bowerman
Author
Artist