Painting the river at Fletching, Sussex

Painting the river at Fletching, Sussex

Sadly the Summer is fading away .
I didn't get to the seaside much this year due to the disputes of Southern rail. As a non driver I didn't fancy getting stuck miles away from home!
So instead I have concentrated more on the countryside which I enjoy just as much.
I took a stroll over to the village of Fletching the other day. It's only 2 miles away but I don't often go there. It's a picturesque village with a large church in the center.

Fletching church

It was all very quiet in the village so after a wander around in the sunshine I headed back to Newick . My route took me a short distance along te narrow country road and then a footpath across the fields.
I was almost at the footpath when I heard the sound of  babbling water coming from the other side of the undergrowth. Being curious....OK...being nosey  I couldn't resist crawling through the bushes to take a look.
To my delight the view that greeted me was just beautiful! The sun was shining through the trees and lighting up the leaves and ripples on the river as it flowed downstream.  I sat for a while mesmerized . This ......just had to be painted! ....

                                                   "Summer Ripples"
                                   Acrylic on canvas 182x 24"

"Summer Ripples" Painting the river at the end of Summer

 

Summer sun and seaside holiday fun !

Life's been really busy lately. I have been very fortunate and sold rather a lot of paintings, the man in the post office now greets me with "another one? " ....ha ha!
I have just completed a commission and about to start another one so I decided to have a painting break for a week and catch up on some other bits and pieces .
Now with all the little jobs done and not quite so hectic days I can have a bit of Summer fun !
I'm planning another beach trip soon, I love the colours and madness of the British seaside and want to make the most of it ! There's also the wonderful traditions such as fish 'n' chips, ice cream, sticks of rock, carousel rides, Helter Skelter and of course.....Punch and Judy !
I couldn't resist  painting the children waiting for the puppet show to start.
 The puppet tent took a lot of work so I was delighted that it sold within minutes of me putting it up for sale :)

                                            "Waiting for the Punch line" (Sold)

"Waiting for the Punch line" Acrylic on canvas

One of the wonderful things about the seaside, is that no matter how old you are, there is nothing quite like soaking up the Summer sunshine and just watching the World go by.....

                                  "Golden days and Silver surf"
                                Acrylic on canvas 20"x 16"

"Golden days and Silver surf" A fun colourful beach painting

 

Summer and "A Birds Eye View"

Well life has been rather hectic lately, all in a good way though.
I'm delighted to have made lots of sales, to the point where it feels like I'm at the post office as much as I am at home! Ha ha!
I have been busy this week working on a commission which I can't divulge at the moment other than it is a lovely landscape .
Then, on the best sunshine days I have been out and about exploring more places with my camera.  I am working on a South Downs landscape at the moment , a wonderful composition of distant views and wild flowers .....watch this space!

Of course it wouldn't be Summer without a trip to Brighton beach. I decided to go and do some "people watching" , the beach is always such a wonderful mix of people, kids playing, oldies snoozing, boisterous teenagers and pretty girls sunbathing.
They're talking about culling the seagulls at Brighton,  but to be honest the problems are caused by the people that feed them for their own entertainment . Just a small piece of bread thrown into the air causes a chaos of squawking and feathers that delight some and terrify others!
So, anyway, as I said, July has been hectic and I thought it was time for a bit of Summer fun .
 Going back to the pretty girls sunbathing, oblivious to anything other than the overwhelming heat of the sun and the desire to sun tan as much body area as possible.
They lie on the beach with no interest of what is going on around them, not even the cheeky feathered squawking seagulls that fly and swoop above .............
                                                          "Birds Eye View"
                                                           Acrylic on canvas 24"x 12"

"Birds Eye View" A little bit of Summer painting fun!

 

"Buttercups and Brooks" (Rodmell and Lewes, East Sussex)

Lewes Brooks

In the middle of the South Downs on the south side of Lewes is a flood plain where the River Ouse takes it's last journey before reaching the sea at Newhaven.

The River Ouse and Mount Caburn in the background

The area is made up of fields and drainage brooks and is a haven for wild birds.

To the west the picturesque villages of Iford, Rodmell and Southease are nestled at the base of the Downs with their chocolate box houses and narrow country lanes.

Iford and Rodmell

 I left Rodmell and walked along a chalk track heading towards the river, June brings the fields alive with a multitude of golden buttercups set off by the vertical reeds and grasses that line the brooks.
It looked so pretty in the sunshine!  Looking back at the village all you could see were a few roof tops and a glimpse of the church. A lovely composition to paint.

                                          "Buttercups and Brooks"
                                            Acrylic on box canvas 12"x 16"x 1.5"

"Buttercups and Brooks" Acrylic painting of Rodmell and Lewes brooks

 On my last visit to this area I painted Southease as seen from Itford Hill....
"Summer over Southease"