Well I'm fed up with the dreary Winter weather so I've decided to fast forward to the Spring .  It's my favourite time of the year when the countryside  bursts into life and glorious colour! 

I've chosen a view from a lovely morning walk through a woodland in North Chailey near to where I live. 

"A beautiful Spring morning walk through the woods. The morning sun lights up the fresh green foliage on the trees whilst the path ahead is edged by the heavenly scent of bluebells ".

                                   "Through the Woodland Blue"  Acrylic on canvas 24" x 18"

 Painting in progress 

                          "Through the Woodland Blue"

 "Through the Woodland Blue"

Painting Bluebells and streams

My oh my! Where did April go? Spring has suddenly arrived in all it's glory!
My painting World has so busy with artworks selling before I've finished them! This means I've got a bit behind with my blog and have little to add to my online galleries. I'm not complaining, life is very good, it just seems that I can't paint fast enough and feels a bit overwhelming at times  !
Anyway, April arrived and I waited enthusiastically for the trees and hedgerows to burst into leaf and colour.
My first walk was along the footpaths between Scaynes Hill and Danehill. A pretty walk of woodland and open fields. It also took me over the Bluebell Railway line , I arrived just as a train passed by.

The Bluebell Railway

 A little further on I came upon a stream at the edge of the woods. It was such a pretty place that I decided to stop and have my lunch there ....it also became the subject of a painting...of course...
                                           "Woodland Spring" (sold) 

"Woodland Spring" Acrylic painting

 
                           

 Then  the Easter Bank Holiday arrived and in just a few days the trees and hedgerows burst into leaf
 and the Bluebells were a mass of scented blue...heaven !

Bluebells at Wivelsfield

The weathar was wonderful so we headed off to Horsted Keynes to explore a few more paths . Our walk took us by the wonderful old Mill house

The old Mill house at Horsted Keynes

If you wish to see more photos from my walks then please take a look at my Facebook page Footpaths and photos
To my delight I found another stream. Usually the trees tend to block out the light but here the blazed through .....  just perfect to paint !
                                         "The Bluebell Stream" 
                                 

"The Bluebell Stream" Acrylic painting on canvas

Painting the Spring Bluebells

Spring Bluebells

Yay! The Bluebells are out!
As soon as the sun comes out (between the April showers ) I've been out walking around my local countryside .
Either this year is particularly good for Bluebells or I've been fortunate to have chosen some exceptional paths . Either way the woods are covered in a blanket of blue and the air filled with the sweetest scent.

Sussex Bluebells 

This of course means I've been painting. It would be easy for me to paint several bluebell scenes but it would start to get a bit tiresome and my enthusiasm would wane. So each year I pick 2-3 scenes that really catch my eye ....so here's the first of 2018 ...

                                              "Along Bluebell Rise" 
                                Acrylic on canvas 24" x 18" 

"Along Bluebell Rise" Acrylic painting of bluebell woods in Sussex

                                                           **********
It's now a couple of weeks later, the season is coming to an end and the bluebells are starting to fade away .
I have enjoyed several walks that have taken me "off the beaten track "  . These are the walks that I enjoy the most, you never know what lies ahead!
Sometimes I turn a corner and I am greeted with a view that makes me stop ...stare...and just think "WOW!"
This is from one of those moments ....

                                          "The gates to bluebell wood" 
                                 Acrylic on canvas 24" x 18"

"The gates to bluebell wood" Acrylic painting on canvas

 

Painting the bluebells

Bluebells in Sussex

Every year I tell myself that I'm not going to paint the bluebells and every year they look and smell so wonderful that I can't resist!
I don't want to paint the same old bluebell picture each year so my quest was to find a location that would give me a different composition to previous paintings.
This year I explored the woods that are situated just behind the Bluebell Railway (very apt) at Sheffield Park.
I set off  about 6.30 am so that I could catch the soft, early morning light. It was a lovely walk and I discovered 3 different woods each delightfully adorned with a scented carpet of blue!

Wapsbourne woods, Sussex

So....did I paint them?  Yes, in fact I painted two!

                                                  "Morning Blue" 
                                  24"x18" Acrylic on canvas

"Morning Blue" Painting the Bluebell woods in the early light

                                                        "Bluebell Days"
                                      12"x 10" Acrylic on canvas

Bluebell painting number 2 "Bluebell Days"