Atmospheric paintings by Oxfordshire artist Bee Bartlett remain on show at the O3 Gallery, Oxford Castle, until March 14. This exhibition explores many themes, including her tree studies for which she is known. The exciting thing about the show, however, is Bee’s new venture into figurative work. Her figures move through an urban landscape, struggling with adverse weather conditions as they do so. She captures them perfectly as they walk into the canvas heads down, hands in pockets, as snow or rain swirls around them. Some carry umbrellas – not that umbrellas are necessary to signify rain; her application of paint that sweeps across the canvas depicts rain perfectly. As a result, we can feel the winter chill. It’s as if Bee has pressed the snow and rain on to the canvas and pinned it there.

Bee works in mixed media – look closely and you will notice several layers of paint upon the canvas applied in a manner that permits them to interact with each other. Lighter hues from early layers peep through the final brush strokes to enhance the work.

Red Wellies (pictured) is a fine example of her figurative work. It depicts a young child clad in red Wellington boots being pulled through the snow on a sledge. You do not see her face – the figures are walking away from us. Actually, most of the figures that are now entering her work have their backs to us. We can’t see the colour of their eyes or the expression on their faces – but we don’t need to. The viewer can read the picture by observing the manner in which they walk into the distance and away from us.

Bee says that the integral part of her practice is the constant use off a sketch pad to make observational drawings of people in bars, museums and streets. Rapid, gestural and direct in their execution, these are then used as the source material for development into paintings.

How exciting to see a talented artist developing her work this way.