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"

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 ) 

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

 

Blue skies and sunshine ...

2018 and January is almost over! I can't believe how quickly it has gone by. I've been patiently waiting for some good weather but the days have been mainly grey and bleak !
With the ground so wet and muddy I havn't been out much....oh how I miss the Summer!
When the sun does come out it sits low in the sky and poor light just isn't good for my style of painting.
I therefor decided to beat the Winter blues by revisiting some of my favourite walks from last year. Days of blue skies and sunshine .....
The first comes from an early Spring walk around North Chailey and Sheffield Park.
The rising sun lit up the woodland the scent of bluebells filled the air!
                                        " One Spring Morning" 

"One Spring Morning" Painting of the Springtime bluebell woods 

 My other painting for January is from one of my walks along The South Downs Way, just north of Southease in East Sussex. 
I love the way that the wild flowers flourish and sway in the breeze along the edge of the patchwork fields .
                                       "Wild Along The Way" 

"Wild along The Way" Summer painting of the South Downs Way

So farewell January....It's been great to share the memories of last year but I look forward to exploring new paths and inspiring places .