LOOKING OUT AT SPRING FROM INDOORS

This is a note I wrote in April 2020 and I was finishing the final pieces of artwork for My Big Book of Outdoors, which publishes in May 2021. At the time of writing the UK was a few weeks in to its first ever lockdown and I was reflecting on how much life had changed since starting work on the book.

I started work on this book in 2017. Back then I could never have imagined that as I complete the final pieces of artwork for a book on the outdoors, half the world would be in lockdown. Here in the UK we’ve been told to ‘Stay Home, Stay Safe’. I’m now watching for signs of spring from my kitchen window. As our man-made world grinds to halt there’s something very reassuring to see that nature is carrying on without us; the trees are coming into bud, the birds are starting to nest and bulbs are blooming.

For far too long we’ve taken the natural world for granted. We’ve wasted its resources, we’ve ignored the danger signs and too many of us have carried on regardless. The last few weeks have shown us the enormity of the changes we need to put in place to make a positive impact on climate change. But it’s also shown us that when forced to, we are capable of making big changes to the way we live. Let’s not go back to how things were, let’s move forward and embrace a different way of doing things. 2020 could prove to be the moment we collectively press the reset button and take a different path towards a healthier, happier life for all.

Are we being punished by Mother Nature? It certainly feels that way. Let’s face it, we’ve all been grounded! And as the days become longer and sunnier our need to be outside will grow stronger. We miss what we’ve lost. Do we promise to improve, to change our ways? I certainly hope so!

This new book is my love letter to Mother Nature. Creating the artwork for these 128 pages was a humbling experience. Time and time again I was overwhelmed by the extraordinary beauty of the natural world. Up close I discovered that even the annoying bluebottle fly is beautiful! And I hadn’t realised that starlings are beautiful too! I hope that anyone (young or old) who dives into this book will enjoy the splendour of each season, but also that they take the time to stop and look at the world around them and marvel in the amazing way nature survives and rejuvenates alongside us.