Lovers in the Woods

This very late painting depicts two people, their arms wrapped round each other, walking along one of the tracks common in the New Forest. It is extremely loosely painted, with small areas of white ground showing through the trees, and the figures are almost “matchstick.” It is impressionistic in the extreme, and the whole picture is a symbol of the intimacy of the couple, just enjoying being together, and in the woods. It is their world, and theirs alone.

Alresford Gallery dated this painting 1986 in their 1996 solo show of Richard's paintings.