Interloper

Description

A Fox on the Garden Wall

Foxes are part of everyday life in Sheffield. At least they are in our garden, where we have a fox visitor almost every evening these days. This one turned up on the neighbouring garden wall just a few feet from our kitchen window. A juvenile, working its way along the top of the stonework. Young foxes are less cautious than adults, and this one was in no hurry at all.

Photographing It Through the Window

For this one, I was in the kitchen, the fox was outside, and I photographed it through the glass rather than open a door and risk scaring it away. Shooting through a window is a compromise, but it beats another photo of an empty wall.

Then it paused right next to a prayer wheel set into the stonework, ready to jump down onto the lawn. That’s the moment I painted.

Foxes in Sheffield

Fox cubs emerge from their dens in April and May and spend the following weeks exploring above ground, which is when they are easiest to spot. They keep the darker cub coat for a while before the full adult red comes through by late summer. Sheffield’s foxes are well used to gardens, and increasingly active in daylight.

The Painting Process

Working in my Sheffield home studio, I painted this in oils on a 10 × 8 inch Ampersand Gessobord panel. The wall takes up more of the panel than the fox does, so a lot of the work went into getting the stonework to read convincingly, but take a back seat while the fox holds the attention.

Framed or Unframed

Choose the framed option and it arrives ready to hang. The frame is natural ayous, a pale, lightweight hardwood, with a 7mm face and 21mm depth. The panel sits inside it with a 5mm gap all round, so the painted edge of the panel stays visible and the picture appears to float inside the frame rather than sitting against it. A flush mount is already fitted to the back for hanging.

If you would rather choose your own frame, you can buy it unframed. For advice please refer to How to Frame a Painting on a Panel.

Original Artwork Details

Specifications:

• Medium: Oil on gessobord panel
• Size: 10 × 8 inches (~ 25 × 20 cm)
• Depth: 0.3 cm (~ 1/8 inch)
• Available framed or unframed
• Framed size: approximately 27.8 × 22.7 cm (~ 11 × 9 inches)
• Frame: natural ayous, 7mm face, 21mm depth, 5mm float gap, flush mount fitted
• Year: 2026
• Signed on reverse

Shipping & Care

Your painting will be carefully packaged with protective materials and shipped via Royal Mail within 3-5 business days. The panel is robust and archival, oil paintings on panel have been proven to last for centuries when properly cared for. Display away from direct sunlight and extreme humidity for best longevity.