Follow the Trail - Original Painting

Follow the Trail - Original Painting

Follow the Trail feels like the beginning of a new era of landscape painting for me.

Of all the paintings I’ve made in recent times, this is probably the one I’m most excited about. It feels like a genuine step forward — a painting where some of the ideas I’ve been gradually exploring have come together and given me a glimpse of where I want to take my landscapes next.

The perspective is deliberately exaggerated, the shapes and contours of the land are pushed further, and the colours are vibrant while still working harmoniously together. I’m becoming less interested in simply describing a landscape exactly as it appears and more interested in what I can do with it — stretching perspective, simplifying and emphasising shapes, and finding my own visual language for the land.

It feels like the beginning of a new era of landscape painting for me, and a direction I’m incredibly excited to build upon.

The meaning behind Follow the Trail

The title has a personal meaning too.

Follow the Trail is about trying not to worry too much about what everyone else is doing, what I could be doing, or all the different directions life and work could take. Instead, it’s about recognising the things that make you happy, the things that work for you, and the things that make your life feel successful on your own terms — and then having the confidence to keep following that trail.

That’s also why I hope the painting can mean something to someone who has never visited the Cotswolds. We all have our own trail to follow. If you’re trying to build a life around the things that matter to you, trusting your own direction rather than constantly comparing it with somebody else’s, then perhaps Follow the Trail can be a small reminder to keep going.

There’s also a more literal connection to the landscape that inspired the painting.

The Cotswolds have become hugely important to both my life and my work. I live on the southern edge of the Cotswolds and spend a great deal of time exploring and painting the surrounding countryside. I didn’t grow up here, but over the years it has become home — a landscape I absolutely adore and one that continues to provide an almost endless source of inspiration.

Follow the Trail is heavily influenced by this landscape: the patchwork fields, rolling contours, tracks and pathways that lead your eye through the countryside. Rather than depicting one particular view literally, I wanted to capture something of how this landscape feels to me.

The artwork

Follow the Trail
100 × 70 cm
Acrylic and mixed media on canvas
Presented in a handmade ash frame

The original painting is currently available through Park Gallery in Cheltenham.

Gallery canvas reproductions

For those who love Follow the Trail but aren’t looking for the original, beautifully produced gallery canvas reproductions are also available through my website, with a choice of frames and sizes.

These reproductions are made to capture the colour, character and impact of the original and arrive framed and ready to hang.

Free delivery is currently available on gallery canvas reproductions.

Fine Art Paper Prints

Prints are made on 230 gsm archival fine art paper with a textured matte finish, using museum-quality giclée printing for sharp colour and long life. Add an optional acid-free passepartout border for a gallery-style finish - the print sizes down one step to fit inside, so the outer frame dimensions stay the same.

Gallery Canvas Editions

Canvases are printed on an archival poly-cotton blend with a matte/satin finish, using museum-quality giclée printing. The material is sustainably sourced and resistant to scratching, cracking and warping. Sawtooth hanging hardware and rubber wall bumpers come pre-installed, so every canvas ships ready to hang straight from the box.

Fine Art Paper Print Frames

The frame size roughly matches the print size it fits. Frame profile is 1.5 cm wide and 1.5 cm deep on prints up to A2 / 50×70 cm, and 2 cm wide and deep on A1 and above. Outer dimensions are slightly larger than the print itself depending on the size you pick. Every frame hangs vertically or horizontally. Frames are handmade in Italy with premium plexiglass. 

Eg Black 

Eg Dark Oak

Gallery Canvas Editions

Gallery Canvas Editions can come in floater frames which are made from solid real wood, 4 cm deep, available in white, black or oak - each one gives the canvas a clean floating appearance inside the frame.

Gallery Canvas Editions have the option of a float frame in a variety of colours. These are terrific quality and made from wood.  

Eg Oak Float Frame

Eg White Float Frame

Standard prints arrive within about 7 working days. Framed prints take 10 to 14 days. Embellished canvases are bespoke and ship in up to 14 days. All orders are tracked. We ship worldwide. Local collection is available for originals from Corsham, UK by prior arrangement.

Prints are made to order, so we can't accept returns for change of mind or the wrong size or design. If your order arrives damaged or has a manufacturing fault, email info@michaelsutherlandart.com within 2 days with a photo of the issue, a photo of the packaging barcode, and your order number - we'll send a replacement or full refund. For originals and bought goods (excluding commissions), there's a 14-day return window in unused, original-packaging condition.