Fawn - An Intuitive Painting

Some paintings begin with a carefully planned idea. Others quietly find their own way into the world.

Fawn belongs to the second kind.

‘Fawn’, Watercolors on Paper, Image: 23 x 31 cm, framed: 36 × 44 × 2 cm, 

Intuitive Painting by Rika Dehombreux, 2015

Painted in watercolour on paper in 2015, this piece was created during my Unorthodox Watercolour Painting course with Jan Nesbitt at the London Art College. The assignment invited us to combine several reference photographs into a new composition. I chose three photographs by my husband Sam: a young fawn, an American landscape, and the grapevine growing in our Belgian garden.

‘Grapes’, Sint-Pieters-Kapelle, Belgium, 2015, Photography by Samuel T. Woodbury

As the painting developed, it gradually transformed into something more dreamlike than realistic. The little fawn found itself beneath a canopy of grapes, overlooking distant blue hills wrapped in mist. It became less a real place and more a peaceful landscape of the imagination.

Imagine a gentle giant, quietly stepping across mountains and rivers while reaching up to feast on enormous blue grapes — a whimsical vision of nature's abundance and the nectar of life.

‘Fawn’, Olympic Peninsula, Washington, USA, 2008, Photography by Samuel T. Woodbury

For me, the fawn has always symbolised gentleness, innocence and new beginnings. It reminds us to move through life with curiosity, kindness and an open heart, even when the path ahead is still unknown.

Looking back after all these years, I realize this painting was already hinting at the whimsical, intuitive world that would eventually become Glowing Roots.

‘Landscape’, Bitterrott Mountains, Idaho, USA, 2014, Photography by Samuel T. Woodbury

The original painting is available for collectors, while Fine Art Prints are also available for those who would like to welcome this gentle little companion into their own home.

I hope Fawn brings a little wonder, peace and quiet magic into your day.

With Love and Light,

Rika 🪷💫🧡🙏🧡💫🪷