Before the Rain began with the storm cloud.
There wasn't a particular landscape I was trying to recreate. I wanted to paint that period before a storm arrives, when the sky begins to darken, the colours across the land start to change and you know the weather is coming before the first drop of rain has fallen.
I developed the rolling landscape beneath the cloud to give the painting a greater sense of distance and scale. The fields gradually disappear towards the horizon while the storm fills much of the sky above them.
To the right, a tree stands within the approaching weather. Its branches may be shaken by the wind and it will be affected by the storm, but it remains rooted within the landscape.
I didn't want the painting to feel frightening. I enjoy the drama of storms and the changing colours that come with them, particularly that strange period of anticipation when everything seems to be waiting for the rain to begin.
Before the Rain is part of the Quiet Presence collection.
Artwork Details
Title: Before the Rain
Artist: Jennifer F
Medium: Oil
Dimensions: 70 × 50 × 1.4 cm
Year: 2026
Collection: Quiet Presence
Artwork Record: ABJF-2026-0002
Original artwork: One of a kind
Availability: Sold
Exhibited and sold at the Portsmouth and Hampshire Art Society Summer Exhibition at Portsmouth Cathedral, August 2026.
Beneath the Surface
Read more about the story and reflection behind the painting in Before the Rain — Beneath the Surface.
