Velvet Stags and Summer Heat
There are some places that I find myself returning to again and again. They never lose their magic no matter how many times I visit or walk the same paths. Returning to somewhere familiar as the seasons change is a way of connecting deeply with a place.
One of these places is a local woodland of ancient oaks. It's here that I often go in search of deer. They are not guaranteed but a walk without seeing one is unusual.
This summer has been unusually hot, and it hasn't rained for weeks and weeks. The ground is dry, grasses and smaller plants are golden or wilted and the oak leaves are beginning to look tough and leathery. Narrow streams wind their way down from the open hilltops before weaving through the woodland and across the paths. This year, their cool water feels more precious than ever, offering a place for wildlife to drink and find relief from the heat.
Walking through the trees looking for deer sharpens the senses. You become aware of every footstep, every twig that snaps, and just how loudly dry leaves crunch underfoot. Deer are easily spooked, there one minute and gone the next; so every movement catches your eye. Every rustle in the leaves gets your attention. Sometimes it's only a squirrel disappearing up an oak trunk or a blackbird searching through the leaf litter. Other times, if you're patient and a little lucky, a flicker of movement ahead, or on the edge of the woodland, reveals a deer. A closer look often reveals there are several, grazing on holly or nibbling at the undergrowth. Some may even be lying down, hidden amongst the ferns and bracken. At this time of year the stags are still wearing their antlers in velvet. The soft covering catches the light gives them a shimmering, almost magical quality.
I always find it remarkable how easily they disappear. An animal that seems so large can melt back into the woodland in a matter of seconds, leaving only the memory of where it stood.
Those moments inspire many of my paintings, as I try to capture that feeling of quiet anticipation. The sense that a walk in nature will always reveal something if we're willing to slow down enough to notice, to stand still, and to enjoy the magic of sharing a space with a wild animal.
No matter how heavy I may be feeling and no matter how much I feel I am carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders, this woodland reminds me that wonder still exists in the real world. Sometimes, all it takes is a walk beneath the oaks.
