Crossing the Severn 1905

David Bates’s oil painting, "Crossing the Severn," captures a pastoral scene with gentle brushstrokes and a warm palette of browns, greens, and yellows. You can almost feel the quiet of the countryside, hear the soft splash of water. I imagine Bates standing here, in the fields, carefully mixing his paints, trying to capture the way the light filters through the leaves. I wonder if he felt a connection to this rural life, or maybe he was just trying to capture a fleeting moment of beauty. The way he’s rendered the water, it's not just H2O, it’s a shimmering surface that reflects the sky. Each stroke feels deliberate, like he’s savoring the act of painting itself. Look at the way he captures the light on the backs of the cows. It gives them weight and presence, as if they are as much a part of the landscape as the trees and hills. Painting is just like that—a conversation, a way of seeing and feeling. It's not about perfection, but about the joy of exploring the world through color and form.