It's now late August and once again it's been a Summer of rain or being just too hot  .  I've spent the past few weeks weather watching and dashing out in the good spells . A bit like one of those little women in the weather houses where they come out on the sunny days !    ha ha ha! 

 

  

 

This Summer has been a mixture of good walks and just visiting places that I've not been to . It's been an interesting few months of discovering little bits of Sussex that I didn't know existed .

 

I do however  have a couple of favourite walks that I try and do each year , one of them is up to Mount Caburn on the outskirts of Lewes .

On my way there I  noticed that the wild flowers were starting to fade along the roadsides so I didn't expect to see many on my walk ......I was so very wrong!  

As I entered through the gate into Southerham nature reserve I was greeted by a sea of colour overlooking the South Downs. So many flowers swaying in the warm breeze that seemed to go on forever!  It looked stunning ! 

My path through Southerham nature reserve

I walked very slowly through the fields  just mesmerised by the beautiful scenery around me ! 

 

 

On the other side of these fields I was greeted by splendid views  over the Sussex Weald.

 I continued my walk to Mount Caburn where I stopped for a while to watch the Exmoor ponies that were grazing in the fields . Then after stopping for lunch at the top I made my way back through more fields of flowers . 

Views of Mount Caburn, Lewes 

 It was  wonderful weather and the most delightful walk , It turned out to be a perfect day !

 

The only thing left for me to do was to capture it on canvas and paint one of my favourite views of the day . 

 

"The Scented Seas of Summer" 

Acrylic on canvas 24" x 18" 

"The Scented Seas of Summer" Acrylic painting on canvas

Summer and the frustrated painter!

Well here I am right in the middle of the Summer.
 As a landscape artist I should be in my element......but I 'm not!
I'm surrounded by beautiful countryside and wonderful beaches, so many places that I wish to walk, so many views that I want to paint.
It's the weather that frustrates me so much. Each time I venture out to explore, the clouds appear, the light dims and my quest becomes futile. Yes, there have been some wonderful sunny days but they have either been far too hot for walking or I have had other commitments .
(I don't drive and as the busses are so few and far between my trips need planning in advance . I can't just jump in a car when the sun comes out. )

So I sit here at odds wondering what to do .....
I  make so many demands on myself  ...
perhaps too many ?
Should I persevere ? Change my artistic direction? Explore new ideas?
It's hard to think clearly when your head is full of clouds and your journey ends in disappointment.

I did manage to get to the Lewes Downs on a day when the sun broke through . It's a stunning area in the Summer . There is such a vast array of colourful flowers and so many beautiful butterflies and insects  .
 A frenzied dance on a warm scented breeze. ...

The Southerham nature reserve on the Lewes Downs

My trips here never fail to inspire ....
                                              
                                             "The Butterfly Path" 

"The Butterfly Path" Acrylic painting on canvas 

 After a few fruitless outings I decided my best dose of self medication would be to spend a day at the beach. A colouful and fun filled trip to Brighton.
 Seaside, sticks of rock, deck chairs and the new up-side-down house was sure to put a smile on my face! 

Brighton Summer 2019

 It was a good day and just what the doctor ordered!
 It also reminded me that as we near the end of July that my painting "Joan and Nancy's trip to the seaside" is the August picture in the Artist and Illustrator's 2019 calendar .....now that's a bit special :) 

My painting in the Artist and Illustrators calendar :)

 To mark the occasion I thought I would have a similar bit of fun including the old West pier .....
                                   
                                               "Sun, Salt and Seaworn" 

A fun seaside painting "Sun, Salt and Seaworn"

The "Sun" is for sunbathing.
The "Salt" is for the tattooed sailor .The tattoo says "sink or swim", which I felt was very apt in regards to the fragile state of the pier.
The "Seaworn" refers to the West pier ruins


For now though I shall go back to watching the weather forecast ...
back to thinking....
thinking of what to do .