My Somerset Levels – an artist’s eye for the small details by Natasha Lee

Natasha Lee is a watercolour artist who draws inspiration from the Somerset countryside for her paintings. Natasha explains why the Somerset levels is special to her.

I often cycle out on to the Levels from my house and I often do exactly the same bike ride. This should become boring after a while, but I never really tire of it as there is so much to see and all those things subtly change depending on the season or the time of day. None of these are big, dramatic things either. They are small, everyday things which can be magnificent if time is taken to just see them.

The sky is a big feature on the Levels as there isn’t much that gets in the way of it!

Some days, it can be filled with amazing cloud formations, other days it can be a pure, dazzling blue and sometimes black rain clouds can be seen sweeping across the landscape, making me pedal faster to get home. And with the sky comes birds. There are the famous starling murmurations of course, where the sound of millions of wings can be heard rustling overhead. Then there are the joyous gangs of house martins swooping in and out of the willows. I read somewhere that a group of these birds is called a ‘richness’, which seems about right! My favourites are the charms of goldfinches which chatter together along the hedgerows, showing flashes of bright yellow as they fly.

As the seasons change, I cycle past different plants.

In winter, the tangle of branches in the hedgerows stand out starkly against the winter fields and lonely pollarded willows are reflected in flooded areas. Spring brings the swaying froth of cow parsley and as the year progresses so the hedgerows become increasingly crowded.

Fields fill with the surprising yellow of buttercups and delicate globes created by dandelion clocks. With autumn comes the majestic purples of blackberries and elderberries, together with the memory of jars elderberry jelly, which look like trapped amethyst when held up to the light. I always promise myself I’ll make some…

Animals change too. White lambs appear in the early spring, followed by ochre and brown umber calves. I often meet a gaggle of creamy, free-range ducks enjoying their patch with its distant view of Glastonbury Tor. I have enjoyed magical times with the dark arrows of swifts swooping around me as I cycle along, as well as regal-looking dragonflies with their iridescent wings flying beside me. In winter, I sometimes have to change my route slightly as the roads I usually cycle along have become flooded and are now home to all manner of waterfowl, including busy ducks and serene swans.

I try very hard to capture these moments in my watercolours and to distil that feeling of just looking and enjoying. I want to share it with others and help them to see the beauty that is just there waiting to be discovered.

Wonder can, of course, be found in the famous big, dramatic sights, but it can also be found closer to home in all the everyday – and that, for me, is a route to happiness.

Natasha Lee’s exhibition “Finding Home” is at the Bishops Palace, Wells, until 21st June.

Find out more about Natasha’s art