The Artist Magazine September 2025 Back Issue

There’s something about the heat of summer that changes the way we see, and feel, everything. The sun sharpens shadows, saturates colour and stirs a certain restlessness in the soul. For artists, these long, golden days are both muse and challenge: the light is exquisite, the heat at once energising and exhausting. During these months, the world seems to hum a little louder, and we listen more intently, with brush or pencil in hand.

This issue of The Artist is infused with the warmth and vibrancy of the season. From Becky Thorley-Fox’s evocative plein-air studies of coastal birds at one of her favourite summer haunts, to practical advice on limiting your palette, perfect for travelling light, you’ll find insights and inspiration to help elevate your work in the studio or out in the field.

Caroline Saunders had the pleasure of speaking with the wonderfully talented Hannah Dale, whose charming and widely adored wildlife illustrations continue to delight audiences nationwide. Her ability to bring character and warmth to each creature is captivating.

Elsewhere, Grahame Booth offers a step-by-step demonstration on capturing an open summer landscape, complete with that elusive (and sometimes divisive!) heat haze. We also bring you the remarkable story of Alan Cotton’s travels to exotic shores as a guest of King Charles III, in his role as Royal Tour Artist; what an extraordinary experience to share.

So, whether you’re sketching in the dappled shade or rising early to greet the morning light, I hope this issue meets you wherever you are, creatively, emotionally, and geographically.

Here’s to summer in all its brilliance, and to the art it continues to inspire.