MADE in the Pewsey Vale is delighted to present Under the Canopy, a new collection of paintings by Benedict Lovering, exploring the beauty, atmosphere and hidden histories of our ancient woodlands.

​

Drawn to places that feel untouched by time, Benedict finds inspiration in the character of ancient trees and the sense of being immersed within a living landscape. Yet beneath the apparent wilderness lies a rich history of human intervention. From coppiced woodland to the sprawling, gnarled oaks of Savernake Forest, these landscapes reveal traces of how people have shaped and inhabited the natural world over centuries.

​

Painting en plein air, Benedict is particularly fascinated by the fleeting effects of light and the abstract patterns created as sunlight filters through the canopy. Working quickly and intuitively, he captures the shifting colours, dappled shadows and changing atmosphere of the woodland, allowing the unpredictability of nature to become part of the painting process.

​

Originally trained in illustration at Falmouth, Benedict later discovered a passion for oil painting while living in London. His background in illustration continues to inform his approach, using colour, shape and expressive brushwork not simply to record a scene, but to evoke a particular feeling or emotion.