Autumn

Autumn

As I write this, September has just rolled round and thoughts turn towards the changing of seasons. I always embrace autumn as for me it’s a chance to slow down a little, take stock of the year so far and then take time to prepare for the busiest time of my year – the run up to Christmas.

Autumn is a season which becomes entrenched in our sense of ‘hygge’ – creating a sense of cosiness and calmness, a warmth to your surroundings and a place to nestle in. Hygge is a Danish word which has come to encapsulate that sense of taking notice of the small things, living a softer life and really embracing our small comforts. It’s an ethos which can be applied all year round, but to me Autumn seems to be a time to really zone in on it.

In years gone by, Autumn heralded the end of the summer farming season, and a transition into preparing for the colder months with food preservation, gathering in hay and straw, and making plans for winter. The ‘harvest home’ celebrations may have fallen by the wayside, but elements of it can still be seen through church harvest festivals, and in pagan celebrations of Mabon, the autumn equinox at the end of September where the bounty of summer is honoured and the new season welcomed in.

In modern times, the key part of Autumn is of course, Halloween. An evolution from the Celtic holiday of Samhain, nowadays we see an abundance of pumpkins, witches and trick or treaters at our doors, and it’s thought to be a time where the line between the physical and spiritual world becomes thin, and ghosts and spirits can appear!

For me, this year I’m fully in on Autumn and Halloween – and as an artist it’s all about the colours of the year which makes it. The copper, orange and red hues of Autumn leaves can’t be matched and whilst Winter brings it’s own challenges, on a personal level it’s a time I look forward to especially in the new year, as we begin welcoming new lives to our farm at lambing time. 

To welcome in Autumn this year I have painted an autumn 'tree of life', where I explore all the autumn colours and tones - I have prints and the original available, and you can shop prints here