The Herald is a large, 36x48x1.5 inches, oil on canvas painting of a red deer stag in an autumn forest. The painting takes the viewer down a path through the autumn trees with vibrant coloured bracken and leaves to either side. The stag stands to the left watching. He is the herald of autumn and he has made his claim on the autumn forest. At the end of the path the light shines through the trees so brightly that you can’t see what is beyond them. But it is something beautiful. The colours are very bright autumn colours ranging from deep purple through to wine, orange, yellow, lilac and blue. It has been built up using thick, generous layers of paint and is expressionist and expressive in style. I painted it after a few October walk in the Ashdown Forest where I saw these colours in the trees and heather and ferns as well as the occasional deer spotted in the distance. It is painted on deep edge canvas, white edges, ready to hang, no frame needed.