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

"Castle Heights" Painting Lewes castle

Lewes castle from the mount

I live just a few miles from the town of Lewes. The county town of Sussex.
Situated within the slopes of the South Downs it is steeped in history and wonderful architecture.
Over the past few years I have  painted  2 of the views overlooking the rooftops

Two of my previous paintings of Lewes

This time I wanted to paint the castle and some of the surrounding buildings. After much thought I decided on the view from the Mount near the Priory ruins. No one really seems to know what the mount actually is but there are some great views from the top and further information about it here  The Mount, Lewes
I went up it last year but unfortunately trees obscured the view  . However on a recent visit I noticed that the trees had been felled ....happy me!  The view was just what I was hoping for! It took a lot of work to paint but I enjoyed every brush stroke .

                                                   "Castle Heights" 
                                    Acrylic on canvas 24" x 18" 

"Castle Heights" Painting of Lewes Castle

 

"Springtime Yellow"

Yellow rapeseed fields

For my latest painting I decided to stay with the beautiful yellow fields of the oil rapeseed crops. Due to crop rotation the opportunity doesn't arrive every year, in fact I've waited 2 years for some good local displays.
My walk took me to the western outskirts of Lewes in the early hours of the morning. The colours were stunning and the frequent slopes that my path took were ideal for capturing the curves and contours of the South Downs.

Views from my walk among the rapeseed crops on the South Downs

It's great to use such vibrant colours , Spring is a delightful season !

                                          "Springtime Yellow"
                        Acrylic on canvas 24"x 18"

"Springtime Yellow" Painting the yellow rapeseed fields on the South Downs at Lewes, East Sussex 

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Painting "Lewes Rooftops" (Sussex)

Lewes town, Sussex

Lewes is the county town of Sussex. It's a town steeped in history, character, architecture and traditions.
I went to school here and live just 6 miles away but on my recent visit I decided to go as a tourist rather than a shopper.
It was a lovely sunny Spring day just right for a walk around the castle and climbing up the battlements to admire the views. They were spectacular and inspiring!
I wanted a view to paint that would capture a  typical part of the scenery and surroundings. A view that in my youth I would have taken for granted and not appreciated in the way that I do now.
Looking south west towards Swanborough hill (The South Downs Way runs along the top), the rooftops and chimneys backed by the soft gentle slopes of the South Downs was just perfect!

The painting took quite a few hours to complete but the detail kept the composition interesting and challenging to work on......
                                                 "Lewes Rooftops"
                                   Acrylic on canvas 24"x18"

"Lewes Rooftops" Acrylic painting on canvas

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Painting the "Chapel Hill Rooftops" of Lewes, Sussex

Chapel Hill, Lewes, Sussex

On a recently sunny day we decided to head for the Southerham nature reserve at Lewes. It's an area well known for it's butterflies and wild flowers. It's also very high up! Although the weather was lovely it was also very misty so we missed out on the extensive views from the top. I intend to return in the Summer when the area will be at it's best and hopefully get some wonderful photos!

Southerham nature reserve, Lewes

Reaching the reserve requires a very steep climb up Chapel Hill, not for the faint hearted but the views are spectacular over the town and far beyond. It's certainly  well worth the effort..

Views from Chapel Hill, Lewes

It was the hill that became the subject of my painting. The houses are very old and the view over the rooftops of the town is wonderful, such a lovely mix of architecture!
 Just a short way up the lane stands a bent lamp post that seems to fit the scene perfectly. I would love to know how it ended up that way, perhaps the result of drunken revelry from  bonfire nights past?
With so many buildings in the view it was quite a challenging composition and has taken a while to complete. But I'm glad I chose it :)
                                             "Chapel Hill Rooftops"
                                              Acrylic on box canvas 24"x 18"x 1.5" 

The view from Chapel Hill, Lewes