John Barleycorn

Commissioned by David Thompson, Master of The Worshipful Company of Brewers 2011-12. The title is from an English folksong celebrating the transformation of barley to beer: you can hear some versions here.

oil on canvas , 610mm x 610mm

studies

Oil study made on the spot in bright sun

detail from above

Source field of autumn sown barley or 'winter barley' near Ely.
With thanks to Keith Ladson

drawing of stem structure

The two main forms of barley: six seed rows (left) used for animal feed & two row (right) used for malting. Malting barley is generally longer in the ear and I think more beautiful. Walking through a field of malting barley is like walking through a safe sea - a wonderful experience.

For another barley field painting click here.

digital work

High dynamic range (HDR) composition photo in which, unlike a conventional photo, both light and dark colours are correctly exposed. These colours are a closer match to the colours we see than is possible with a single exposure. This compound image was used to select and clarify colour distribution for the painting.

Two sample digital selections from the HDR image. Left side with browns (mostly lower dead leaves) and right side with those browns removed. The yellowest stems have also been picked out. This is part of a process designed to clarify the colour structure of a complex scene.