Sunday in Beccles
There is something about a traditional British market that feels wonderfully ordinary — and that is exactly why I wanted to paint one.
Sunday in Beccles is the first painting in my Market Life series, part of my wider project, Britain: The Everyday Years.
The idea behind this project is to capture Britain as it looks and feels now. Not just the famous landmarks or picture-perfect countryside, but the everyday places, routines and little moments that form the backdrop to our lives.
Markets are a perfect example.
For generations, market squares have been places where people shop, work, meet friends, stop for a chat and become part of the life of a town. Yet our high streets and shopping habits are changing incredibly quickly. I want to record some of these familiar scenes while they are still part of everyday British life.
Why Beccles?
Beccles is somewhere I know from spending time there trading at the Sunday market with my husband, David. Rather than approaching the scene simply as a visitor, I know what it feels like to arrive, set up and watch the town gradually come to life around the stalls.
That made it feel like a natural place to begin Market Life.
For this painting, I wanted to capture more than an accurate representation of the buildings and stalls. I wanted it to have the feeling of a Sunday market — the people, the movement and all the small details that you might normally walk past without giving them much thought.
Painting the Everyday
I began with a wash across the canvas before transferring my outline and gradually blocking in the main areas of colour.
My palette is deliberately muted. I don't want these paintings to feel overly bright or polished. I want them to have a slightly nostalgic quality while still clearly belonging to Britain today.
Once the first layer of colour is complete, I'll return across the entire painting, gradually adding detail, light, texture and those little marks that bring the scene to life.
I'm also resisting the temptation to make everything too perfect.
The aim isn't photorealism. I want the brushstrokes to remain visible and for the finished piece to unmistakably feel like a painting.
The Beginning of a Much Bigger Story
Sunday in Beccles is only one market on one Sunday, but that is really the point of Britain: The Everyday Years.
Individually, these moments can seem insignificant.
Together, I hope they will gradually become a visual record of a particular period in British life — our markets, high streets, seaside towns, cafés, shops, traditions and ordinary routines.
Things we may not realise we're nostalgic for until they have changed.
And years from now, I'd love someone to look at these paintings and say:
“I remember when Britain looked like that.”
Sunday in Beccles
From the Market Life series
Britain: The Everyday Years
Michelle Doughty Art