Coterie

A gathering of friends on a well-loved porch becomes the quiet heart of this vibrant oil pastel. The title says it all — coterie, a circle of intimates — and the painting wraps that warmth in an explosion of lush, living colour. A charming timber-clad cottage in soft sage green sits nestled within an almost overwhelming abundance of foliage, trees pressing in from every side as if nature itself is leaning in to listen.

Figures cluster on the front steps in easy, unhurried conversation — loosely rendered yet full of presence, their forms suggested rather than defined, the way memory holds a familiar gathering. A garden path leads the eye from a weathered gate straight to this scene of belonging, grounding the viewer as a quiet observer on the outside looking in.

The palette is extraordinary — deep teals, burnt oranges, acid greens, flashes of cobalt and rose — all applied with the bold, layered richness that oil pastel uniquely allows. Light filters through the canopy in dappled strokes, casting the whole scene in a golden, late-afternoon glow.

Joyful, intimate, and deeply alive — Coterie is a love letter to the places and people we call home.

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