Landscapes in lockdown

Well......my good intentions of keeping my Blog up to date seem to half fallen apart like the World around us !!!!
Goodness...we never expected this!  I do hope that you are all keeping safe and well in this crazy situation !

So along came the Spring and I found myself  to be a landscape artist in lockdown . This did not go well for a while . My paintings depend upon my walks. Paths that I could no longer explore .

Thankfully Spring  meant the arrival of the Bluebell season. I am very fortunate to live in a village surrounded by some beautiful woods that were all within my allowed daily excercise area..phew!  They certainly helped to save my sanity and kept me painting .
It was all very touch and go for a while though, especially as art materials became harder and harder to obtain. 
Here is my Spring  collection .....

 Springtime Paintings 2020

Now things have eased a bit I can go further afield . This is good news, but  I don't drive and I have no wish to use public transport yet . I needed a plan, something positive to focus on .
 The sun arrived in all it's glory and the amazing weather was far to good to miss, so with the help of my husband  I have been able to get to my most local part of The South Downs. 
It's a beautful area where The South Downs Way winds it's path along the slopes and  panoramic views over the Sussex Weald are a delight to behold.
Perfect weather ...... perfect views !
 So my plan now is to capture some of them on canvas and wait and see how things go over the next few weeks .

                                    "Way Over the Weald" (Plumpton) 

"Way Over the Weald" Acrylic painting on canvas .

 "Sometimes your feet are weary, Sometimes the way is long,
Sometimes the day is dreary, Sometimes the world goes wrong;
    But if you let your voices ring, Your care will fly away,
                So we'll sing a song as we march along,
                            Of Sussex by the Sea.

                        Oh Sussex, Sussex by the Sea!
                          Good old Sussex by the Sea!
                  You may tell them all we stand or fall,
                            For Sussex by the Sea."

 (SUSSEX BY THE SEA is the county's unofficial anthem. It was written in 1907 by William Ward-Higgs ) 

Ditchling beacon paintings

Ditchling beacon, Sussex

Oh my! March has been such a busy month! I've been decorating the house and Spring cleaning so you can imagine how delighted I was to see the sun shine and escape to the South Downs for the day.
I reached Blackcap at about 8am, such a wonderful time of day to be up there...just me, the Sky Larks  and the wonderful views ...bliss!  The track west over plumpton Plain looked like it went on forever!

Blackcap and Plumpton Plain

As I approached Ditchling Beacon my solitude came to an end as the dog walkers came into sight. I now had to share the rest of my walk . The car parks at the beacon and Clayton windmills mean it's easy walking for those that don't want to wander far and threrfore this area is very popular .
Heading west I stopped at the dew pond for my lunch. A lovely spot where the windswept Hawthorns stand defiant by the still water of the pond. The reflection of the blue sky made it all look quite surreal!

The dew pond along the South Downs Way and the Jack and Jill windmills at Clayton

I veered off from The South Downs way and headed off towards Clayton passing the windmills "Jack" and "Jill" and to catch the bus home.
It was a lovely day and gave me 3 new views to paint.....happy me!

                                        "Sussex Stile"  (Sold) 
                            Acrylic on canvas 24" x 18"  

Painting of the stile at Ditchling Beacon

                                             "Downland Dew Pond
                                   Acrylic on box canvas 24" x 12"

"Downland Dew Pond" Acrylic painting 24" x 12"

                                   "Windswept and Water"
                                                            Acrylic on canvas 12" x10" 

Acrylic painting of the Hawthorn and dew pond at Ditchling

 

Windover Hill and The Long Man of Wilmington

Windover Hill and The Long Man of Wilmington

In the heat of the Summer I decided I would take a walk up and over Windover Hill in Wilmington. A walk that I have wanted to do for a long time.
I started at the base of the hill where the chalk image of The long Man of Wilmington stands proudly on the slopes over looking the Sussex landscape. It's almost as if he is guarding the territory.
My climb up the steep paths was a slow one , not only was it very hot but there were so many little blue butterflies that I was afraid I might step on one!

Ascending the hill was no mean feat ( I'm not the fittest of people)  so being passed by a cyclist made me smile at his determination.

Ascending Windover Hill

As you can see the views were magnificent!
The heatwave had turned the landscape into a sun scorched panorama .

Views of Windover Hill

As I reached the top I could see the unmistakeable rise of Firle Beacon in the distance along the route of The South Downs Way.
 This was the perfect view for a painting .....

                                                 "Sun Scorched to the Beacon" 
                                       Acrylic on canvas 24" x 18" 

"Sun Scorched to the Beacon" Acrylic on canvas

 

Painting the poppies on the South Downs

It's been a while since I have updated my blog.
It's been a while since I painted.
It's been a month of artistic trials and tribulations  .....things that I won't go in to as I want to move on from them now.
The best tonic for me has been to get out into the solitude and tranquility of the countryside.
Summer has arrived and brought with it patches of bright red wonderful poppies and fields of barley that sway in the breeze like a soft green magical sea . 

Blackcap and Plumpton plain

I have been up on the South Downs where the chalk white tracks highlight my route ahead

My path took me from Blackcap and Plumpton plain over to Falmer .
A blue sky and sunshine day .
Perfect!

                                       "Poppies to Blackcap" 

"Poppies to Blackcap"  Acrylic on canvas 24" x 12"

 

"Tracks to Blackcap"

"Blackcap" on the South Downs near Lewes, Sussex

The recent bleak weather meant that I hadn't been out walking for a while and although I don't mind staying in I finially reached a point where I just needed to escape outside.
Setting off from the outskirts of Lewes I headed west over the South Downs towards Blackcap.
It was a damp and foggy morning where the cloud covered slopes disappeared from view...

My path took me past the beacon at Mount Harry and on to the clump of trees at the top of Blackcap that were replanted to commemorate the coronation of queen Elizabeth in 1953.

Blackcap

At this point the sun started to break through so I decided to head on a little further onto
The South Downs Way . I had 2 choices, South towards Falmer or West towards Ditchling. I couldn't make up my mind so I walked a part way in each direction ....

The South Downs Way at Blackcap

The path ahead  towards Ditchling was very wet and didn't make for easy walking. I made slow progress, but looking back towards Blackcap I loved the way that the solid chalk track was patterned with a mixture of milky white puddles and cycle tracks . This I thought would be a good composition to paint :)
                                          "Tracks to Blackcap"

"Tracks to Blackcap" Acrylic painting 24"x18"

 https://www.artfinder.com/product/tracks-to-blackcap/