Sapphire Wood (2024)Acrylic painting by Amanda Horvath

“Sapphire Wood” is inspired by a secluded stretch of woodland close to my home in the Peak District, a place where stillness gathers beneath the trees and sunlight filters softly through the canopy. In these quiet woods, shifting light and shadow drift across the forest floor, creating a sense of calm, depth and quiet wonder. This painting is my response attempting to capture the gentle rhythm and serenity of the place.
The palette is composed of luminous blues, copper, turquoise and ultramarine, chosen for their soothing, contemplative qualities. Turquoise, long revered across many cultures, is associated with good fortune, wisdom, tranquillity and hope. These colours flow together in layered harmonies, while the copper passages introduce an iridescent shimmer, catching the light and lending the surface a subtle, almost magical glow.
This is a one-of-a-kind original artwork, created using high-quality acrylic paints on deep-edged canvas. My process begins outdoors with careful observation of the landscape, making notes, absorbing the mood of the place and gathering photographic references to take back to the studio. From these beginnings the painting evolves intuitively. I establish initial layers with a brush before building texture through impasto techniques, applying paint layer upon layer with a palette knife. The surface develops through a combination of approaches: optical colour mixing inspired by the Impressionists, alongside traditional methods such as scumbling and glazing used by the old masters. Gradually the painting finds its own balance, and I continue refining the surface until it reaches a natural sense of completion. The result is a contemporary landscape that exists somewhere between abstraction and realism, an evocation of place rather than a literal depiction. The painting continues around the sides of the canvas, allowing it to be displayed without a frame. It arrives ready to hang.

Materials used:

Acrylic Paints on deep edge canvas

Details:

• Acrylic painting on Canvas
• One of a kind artwork
• Size: 30 x 30 x 3cm (unframed)
• Ready to hang
• Signed on the back
• Style: Impressionistic
• Subject: Landscapes, sea and sky

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