Butterflies and day flying moths abound and warm evenings encourage us to stay outside until dusk to watch bats begin their nocturnal hunt. Under the full moon the darkness never fully falls but fades colours to blue. In the half-light a fox crosses the field opposite, inspiring me to include a vixen in Night Life.

Sheila Anderson-Hardy is a painter based in the Scottish Borders. Born in Portpatrick in 1956, she studied at The Glasgow School of Art, graduating with a Diploma of Art in 1979. Her work is inspired by close observation of hedgerows, field margins and woodland edges, where she studies the flora and wildlife that inhabit these overlooked spaces. Working with Sumi-e ink washes, watercolour and collage, she builds densely layered, delicately drawn compositions that focus on the small details that shape the wider landscape. Anderson-Hardy has exhibited widely in solo and group exhibitions and her work is regularly selected for national open exhibitions. She is a member of The Scottish Wildlife Trust and was elected a member of the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour in 2024.