The Soothsayer is a large colourful oil painting of a red deer stag against a semi-abstract background. It is 40x40x1.5 inches. The stag is partly transparent which adds to the spiritual aspect of deer that is prevalent in many cultures. Deer are often seen as spirit guides or messengers – possibly because they are very adept at appearing and disappearing suddenly and do have an elegant and ethereal quality to them. Most people are thrilled when they see deer when out walking and I am one of these even though I see them very regularly on my walks in Sussex. Though I often add them to my paintings to enhance the landscape itself, this painting is about the deer itself. It is a total mystery to me how people can kill them for 'sport'. It is painted on deep edge canvas, white edges, ready to hang, no frame needed.

The Soothsayer

In His Element is a vibrant semi abstract oil painting of a peacock blending into in a magical bluebell wood. It is 36x30x1.5 inches. The peacock is looking to his right under the green spring woodland trees. His tail is spread out around him and is sinking into the lush carpet of bluebells. His colours match the scene beautifully which is why he is in his element. The painting style is semi abstract, slightly art nouveau and is depicted in an exuberant, loose and blurry way so that it seems to shimmer. The vertical layers and lines are like a curtain that present different aspects of the same scene simultaneously. The concept of the painting was simply the idea of seeing a peacock in a bluebell wood. I would like to see it! Peacocks, for me, represent something exotic and gorgeous and strange and bluebells are equally exotic and gorgeous and strange. Painted on 3D canvas, edges white, ready to hang, no frame needed.

In His Element, a peacock in bluebell landscape painting

Destiny Unfolds, a Kingfisher Romance is a wide panoramic oil painting in a vibrant, colourful, magical realism style of two kingfishers by a river. From the left we see a beautiful kingfisher rising out of the water scattering droplets of lines of energy as she flies upwards towards her mate. To the left we see the male and in between the two birds we see the river and water lilies and the suggestion of many colourful semi-abstract flowers and energy lines radiating outwards. I am always inspired by kingfishers as I see them so rarely but am always captivated by the flashes of blue and orange when lucky enough to spot them on my river walks along the Ouse or the Adur or the Medway rivers in Sussex. I wish there were more of them and so I have created a painting which is trying to magic more of them into existence by sheer desire to have it so (hence the title). Like many of my paintings it balances realism with semi-abstract as I find those things play off of each other quite well and

Destiny Unfolds, a Kingfisher Romance

Out of the Blue is a large blue abstract painting with two female deer emerging from a beautiful blue universe. It is 40x40x1.5 inches. This is an unusual painting as it appears to be mostly blue. However, when the light changes, you will see many other colours ranging from pinks, purples, yellows and tans that only show when viewed from different angles - almost like the iridescent feather of a bird. The inspiration for the painting was simply to pay tribute to the beauty of female fallow deer but developed into something more abstract as more layers of paint were added. It is highly textured and hints at a woodland that the deer are coming from. I like to think that deer are magical beings and the intensity of the blue adds to that feeling. I have attached a 'before and after' of the blue paint so you can see how it changed. It is painted on deep edge canvas, blue edges, ready to hang, no frame needed.

Out of the Blue, a blue abstract deer painting

Renewal of Springtime is a large joyful semi-abstract painting of a bluebell wood with a river winding through it. It is 60x36x1.5 inches. A white fallow deer buck stands on the left looking across the river to two female deer on the right. There are strong vertical lines throughout the painting which gives the illusion of the deer, the trees, and the bluebells merging into each other – almost as if the painting was woven rather painted. There is a strong feeling of the exuberance of a springtime wood but it also has a transient, impermanent feeling to it as the month of April when the bluebells are in bloom seems to fly by too fast. The river running through the forest is reddish in colour because I often see iron-rich rivers and streams in the Sussex area. This particular painting was inspired by a walk I had in the Mayfield area which is full of meadows, strange crevices and streams and patches of woodland where the deer appear and disappear magically whenever you pass through them.

Renewal of Springtime

The Jewel of the River is a 40x40x1.5 inches oil painting of a kingfisher by a river surrounded by fields and wildflower meadows. The edges of the painting are blurred so that you are transported into it across the white lacy cow parsley flowers in the foreground. You then see trees and fields leading off into the distance and there is a hint of a river glittering between the stalks of the flowers. The painting has transparent veils of colours moving across it that that help to give it a shimmering magical feel. To the right sitting on one of the flowers is a tiny female kingfisher. She is the jewel of the river. The painting is semi-abstract contemporary art nouveau in style and was inspired by an area of the river Medway near Tunbridge Wells where I saw my first kingfisher. I love to walk and I love to spot wildlife and I find birds completely captivating. Especially highly colourful ones. This landscape encapsulates for me a perfect memory of walking along a riverbank in Springtime.

The Jewel of the River

This painting shows an ethereal white deer stag appearing in a semi-abstract woodland. It is 30x36 x1.5 inches oil painting on canvas and is messy art nouveau in style. Colours are muted greys, pinks, oranges, purples and blue. It was inspired by the white fallow deer I often see around me in the Sussex area. Even though they are more common than people think (and can often be seen with black bucks as well) they are still quite mesmerizing when you see them. The background is deliberately vague and a little strange which adds a fairy tale quality to the painting. The many overlapping layers of colour reflect slightly differently in different light conditions and this adds another dimension to the overall feeling of it. Painted on deep edge canvas, edges white, no frame needed.

White Hart Appearing

The Kingfishers Eden is a wide original oil painting of two kingfishers by a river surrounded by flowers and trees. It is 60x36x1.5 inches. A kingfisher on the left hovers above the suggestion of pink riverside flowers and foliage and watches another kingfisher emerging from the water to the right. Between the trees you can see a lake and a river flowing from it towards the birds. The feeling is mellow and sums up late summer and is very vibrant and colourful. The painting style uses many different techniques and the overall effect is one that hints at flowers and trees but actually in a semi-abstract style. The abundance of paint layers and the rainbow colours make this painting shimmer and reflect differently in interesting ways. The overall effect is of an idyllic countryside landscape that is capturing a perfect moment in time. The reason for this is that every time I see a kingfisher, it is always a perfect moment in time! (only seen 3 so far) Painted on a 3D canvas, edges white.

The Kingfishers Eden

The Peacocks Secret is a large semi-abstract oil painting of a peacock in a secret garden by a lake in late summer. It is 40x40x1.5 inches. Wildflowers edge the lake and the peacock sits on a branch to one side allowing us a glimpse of the garden he presides over – almost as if he has pulled back a curtain for us. On the opposite bank, you can see a field of wheat and trees and a path in the distance beyond. The painting is art nouveau in style and very vibrant, colourful and magical as a landscape. It was inspired by a walk I took in Wadhurst area a few years back where I came across a clump of trees in the middle of a massive field of corn where I could hear a peacock calling. It turned out there was a house and garden there completely hidden except for the track that led to it through the field. I spent quite some time listening to the peacock and getting glimpses through the fence of the lake and the paradise of garden and flowers inside.

The Peacocks Secret

South Downs Winter is a large panoramic oil painting of deer and silver birch trees in snow with the South Downs Hills in the background. It is 60x36x1.5 inches. The painting was inspired by a particular spot on the hills in East Sussex near Amberley. There is a stag to the left and three female deer to the right. I often feature this group of deer as I often seem to see three females and a buck together when out walking and they have come to be almost like mascots for me. It may not be the same 4 deer but I like to pretend it is. The style of the painting is semi-abstract art nouveau and the deer are the same pale colours as the landscape. This makes sense to me as deer are nurtured by the landscapes they live in and blend into it seamlessly when they want to. In fact, the almost mystical way in which deer appear and disappear is something that I never tire of seeing. It is painted on deep edge canvas, white edges, is ready to hang and comes with a certificate of authenticity.

South Downs Winter

Beautiful England is an English countryside inspired landscape oil painting with pheasants and poppies in a summer meadow. It is 40x40x1.5 inches. The painting has a lot of energy to it although it is a peaceful scene and it catapults the viewer into the landscape by use of blurred edges and carefully placed lines and shapes. Two pheasants stand on the right surrounded by poppies. At the back of the meadow a path leads off into the next field and then towards the hills in the distance. It is contemporary semi-abstract and art nouveau in style. The pheasants are painted quite delicately and the poppies with thick, very bright red paint. The painting was inspired by a lovely sultry summer afternoon walk that I took near Selmeston village which sits to the north of the South Downs hills near Brighton. It sums up my absolute love of English landscapes especially in summer when the poppies come out in a mad contrast to the greens of the hills and fields and trees.

Beautiful England

The Song of the Deer is a colourful semi-abstract oil painting of a group of deer in an autumn wood. It is 40x30x1.5 inches. The painting shows a fallow deer buck next to a pine tree as he looks towards three female deer in a clearing to his left and above him. The painting is very colourful and has a slightly fairy tale feeling to it - there is clearly a story (or song) going on between the male and the female deer. The inspiration for the painting was a walk I took in Knole Park, Sevenoaks one autumn where there is a long grassy valley between heathland and forest where the deer can be heard calling to each other during breeding season. The stag in this painting is one I followed for a while up a slope through some ferns which were in full autumn mode of gold, orange, and green. Behind him, I could see a small bunch of females appearing and disappearing out of the forest and ferns and I felt happy to be witnessing a cycle of nature that is timeless and fascinating to see.

The Song of the Deer

A Spiral of Crows is a painting of Sussex winter landscape with a spiral of crows leading into the distance of a woodland path. It is 30x30x1.5 inches and was painted after a walk I took around Standen area near East Grinstead one November. It is painted in an expressionist style and in very thick impasto paint. I have a great affection for crows and ravens who I am convinced monitor me when I am walking and report back to each other. The spiral in this painting possibly leads to another dimension. I like to think so. The colours of this painting are very much England in winter colours and I am pleased with this as I am always trying to capture moments of time with these paintings. The location if you want to walk around here is: RH19 4NE. It is painted on deep edge canvas, 30x30x1.5 inches, white edges, ready to hang.

A Spiral of Crows

She Dreams is a painting of a delicate female fallow deer in a semi-abstract landscape. It is 36x30 inches. The deer stands to the left having just emerged from a birch wood. There is a lake and mountains behind her and the sun above. The style is semi-abstract art nouveau but the deer is realistic against her magical landscape. The colours range through golden yellow, orange, pink, purples and white. Though I know deer may not be deep thinkers, they are, nevertheless, beautiful and mysterious animals and have the ability to enchant me no matter how often I come across them. This painting was inspired by a little deer I found halfway up a hill last summer. She stood and stared at me for 2 minutes until finally vanishing into a patch of woodland. Oil on canvas, deep white edges, no frame needed, comes with a certificate of authenticity.

She Dreams, a deer by lake and trees

Tiger in the Ether is a 40x40x1.5 inches purple oil painting of a semi-abstract art-nouveau-style tiger against an abstract background. The style is slightly art nouveau and makes use of the complementary colours of purple with yellow and orange with blue which makes the colours very vibrant and almost mystical. The background hints at trees and light behind them but is quite abstract. The tiger herself has a pensive expression and looks kinder than most tigers. She appears to be dissolving into the ether (ether being a spiritual idea) and has sparkles of light or energy flowing out from her. In reality, tigers really are in danger of dissolving out of existence so the message is quite poignant. Painted on deep edge canvas, white edges, ready to hang and comes with a certificate of authenticity and gifts from the artist.

Tiger in the Ether

A Day in December is a large oil painting of a pheasant in a winter woodland. It is 40x40x1.5 inches. The painting is impressionistic, art nouveau and contemporary in style and is a capture of a day I spent in December last year in Friston Forest near Seaford. Autumn was very late and there were still leaves on the trees but the sun was very low so all kinds of interesting colours were circulating between warm and cold under the tree cover and this is what I wanted to catch. The pheasant is just a gorgeous twit who looked perfect in the composition as he contains the colours around him and is very much a part of the landscape. This particular part of the forest is a favourite of mine as still retains a faintly ethereal and magical quality. Dedicated to everyone who works to keep the South Downs landscapes and wildlife unmolested. Painted on deep edge canvas, no frame needed, ready to hang and comes with certificate of authenticity.

A Day in December

A 32x32x1 inches print on canvas of an original oil painting by Gill Bustamante called Spirit Guides. The print shows a deer stag and two female deer in a white misty abstract winter forest. One of 10 signed, Limited Edition Prints. It is made by a Fine Art Trade Guild approved company. Each is sharp and detailed and will last 100 years without fading. They are printed on bright 400gsm cotton, hand-stretched on heavy-duty 3cm-deep stretchers. Prints come with built-in corner wedges that make it easy to tighten the canvas. They arrive ready to hang, backed with brown framing tape and a hanging system that keeps the canvas lying perfectly flat against the wall. They are so true to the original artwork that in many cases you cannot tell they are prints unless you touch them. They are finished with a matt protective varnish and with white edges.

Spirit Guides

Natures Cathedral is a very large golden oil painting of an autumn forest clearing. It is 60x36x1.5 inches. The painting shows the view into a clearing along an autumn path with a semi-transparent deer stag just visible on the left. The style is semi abstract and contains the full range of vibrant autumn colours but with a golden hue across them. There is also the hint of beams of light shining thought the trees at many different angles and that helps create a feeling of energy and something otherworldly. The painting was inspired by various woodland walks taken in the Sussex area and the odd glimpse of deer in them. I am sometimes struck by how woodland paths are almost spiritual in the feeling they give off – hence the name. Forests are nature's cathedrals. You can often feel you are being observed in forests and I like the how different forests evoke different emotions. Some are welcoming, some are just barely tolerating your interruption and some are actually quite sinister. This p

Natures Cathedral

The Final Gift of Summer is a beautifully mellow river bank painting with swallows and a tangle of wildflowers. It is a 30x30x1.5 inches. The style is semi-abstract and composed of many overlapping transparent layers in full vibrant rainbow colours. To the left are the deep greens, blues, purples and turquoise of trees in shadow and behind them you can see the glittering sun in the bend of the river. To the right is a view across a mass of summer flowers and the hint of fields and trees and hills in the background with a single dwelling. Two swallows are dancing around on the left gathering insects ready for their long flight south. This painting was inspired by a walk one August day on the South Downs near the river Arun. The feeling was a little sad as I always miss the swallows when they leave. I tried to capture the gorgeous melancholy of the end of summer and there is a definite mood to this painting that hints of the end of something and the beginning of something new.

The Final Gift of Summer

Transcendent Springtime is an exuberant semi-abstract painting of a springtime landscape with a brown hare in a wildflower meadow. The painting shows an ethereal scene whereby lots of particles, of various sizes, move toward the centre of the painting where they coalesce into a joyful spring landscape. The brown hare is well disguised among the flowers and looks vaguely surprised by the way his world is in the process of being created or is possibly dissolving. This is partly inspired by the fact that whilst I love springtime, the flowers blooming and wildlife and bird activity changes very quickly from one week to the next and gives me a desperate urge to experience as much of it as I can before having to wait another year! A line of yellow flowers run across the middle of the marking the edge of the river. You cannot see the river itself but it has the meadow in the foreground and trees and fields in the background.

Transcendent Springtime

Immerse yourself in the beauty of large semi-abstract landscapes inspired by the ancient terrains of East Sussex, UK. Gill Bustamante's unique fusion of art-nouveau, impressionist, and semi-abstract techniques transports you to whimsical realms where nature reigns supreme. 
Experience the magic of her paintings, which echo the essence of each place she explores, capturing moments in time across different seasons. Join us on this captivating exhibition journey celebrating Gill's love for nature, wildlife, and the mystical landscapes that inspire her. 
All paintings are for sale.

Wildlife in Nature's Canvas - Paintings by Gill Bustamante