Overlooking Mayflower

The view from Southampton's medieval city wall looking down through dappled tree shade towards Mayflower Park and the distant Solent. A figure sits on a bench in the foreground, half-hidden beneath the canopy, while the path drops away towards the open park and the shimmer of water beyond.

Painted on location in the company of the Southampton Art Society, working from the elevated vantage point of the old town wall. The wall gives a natural elevated viewpoint that looks over the park, the cruise terminal, and the water beyond, combining the city's medieval and maritime histories in a single glance. The challenge here was the constantly shifting light filtering through the leaf canopy — warm patches of sunlight moving across the stonework and path as the afternoon progressed.