Painting the Seasons

Nicholas Hely Hutchinson reveals how the changing moods of the Dorset coast and countryside inspire his paintings

- Nicholas Hely Hutchinson

When I moved to Dorset in 1993, with my wife and two small children, I was excited at the prospect of living somewhere that was fairly rural and well away from the grey pavements of London.

I soon realised that Dorset was going to be enormously inspirational for my painting. Living in the countryside, after spending some years in the city, I was more aware of the seasons. And it is the seasons and the changing moods of the countryside that have become the main themes of my work.

If asked about my occupation, I usually explain that I am essentially a landscape painter, but I always feel that this doesn’t really tell the whole story. Like many painters, I am influenced by other artists. I am drawn to landscape painters whose work seems to evoke so much more than a straightforward vision of what the eye sees. Turner’s landscapes and seascapes seem to capture the atmosphere, the weather and the very essence of a place. Vincent van Gogh’s paintings of the fields around Arles show his incredible energy and excitement when confronted with nature. Graham Sutherland’s paintings of Pembrokeshire express a tremendous sense of foreboding in a pre-war world. The idea that a landscape painting can spark a sense of excitement, foreboding, sorrow or any human emotion is something that seems to me to be an interesting concept. Each season has its own mood, and it is this that interests me. Even the gloomiest day in November can be poetic and beautiful.