Christmas time and back to the seaside !

Well it's been a very busy few weeks! I have now sold so many paintings that I can't actually keep up with the demand ! 
I have however made sure to make time for the little things that make Christmas a little bit more special .  A bit of baking...a bit of making and....... a bit of festive cheer :)  I thought this year that I would have a woodland animal theme for when the grandchildren visit . For something a little different I made a cake stand for the Yule log, it has 2 doors that hide a secret surprise .....

Tree stump cake stand

of course I can't tell you what's inside or it wouldn't be a surprise!

Now as you know I'm rather partial to a good ale and thought it was only right that I should enter into the spirit of my theme .....well...it would be rude not to ;)

Christmas is an odd season, you find yourself doing things that you wouldn't normally do . I dislike cooking but it wouldn't seem right if I didn't make a few mince pies, with added cherry liqueur and chopped marzipan. A rather sticky result but tasted pretty darn good.

I was however being watched through the kitchen window to make sure that I made them right...

he was more concerned about his peanuts than me !

Another thing I enjoyed was a visit to our village church, I'm not religious but couldn't resist going to see the Christmas Tree festival. I have to say it was delightful and

Newick church Christmas Tree Festival 

there's not many villages that would put Guy Fawkes on top of the tree..brillant !ha ha!

Newick bonfire society's Christmas tree 

So then, "what's all this got to do with the seaside? " I hear you ask.
Well, as I don't cope very well with the dark gloomy days of Winter I specifically planned to paint something colourful and lighthearted to  help keep me sane. The best subject of course is the Summertime seaside.  I decided to create a composition that would capture a typical day at the beach..
So I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and some wonderful Summertime memories x
                       "Joan and Nancy's trip to the seaside" 
                                  Acrylic on canvas 24"x 18" 

Acrylic seaside painting 

 A few days later........
So....did you guess what was inside the cake stand ? 

  Squirrel, Hedgehog, Fox and Owl !   

Painting the Seven Sisters 2016

The Seven Sisters at Cuckmere Haven, Sussex

I rarely paint the same subject more than once but there is something so magical about the Seven Sisters that I just can't resist!
My walk took me up the steep slope of Seaford Head and along the cliff top to Cuckmere Haven. it's a lovely walk with absolutely stunning views in all direction.

Seaford Head to Cuckmere Haven

Although very warm it stayed rather cloudy so I decided to explore the beach and rock pools at Hope Gap while I waited to see if the sun would break through.

Rock pools and groynes

It's a wonderful place for children to explore....... and me!
I continued on to the beach where the river Cuckmere snakes it's way into the sea. Even on a cloudy day it was an enchanting place to sit and watch the world go by.

After about an hour the skies started to clear and I was able  to take some reference photos for painting. I only intended to paint one but couldn't make up my mind which view to go with....so....I painted two!
                                         "Seven Sisters View "
                                Acrylic on canvas 24"x 12"

"Seven Sisters View" Acrylic painting on canvas
 

                        " Where the river meets the sea" (Seven Sisters)
 

Painting of Cuckmere Haven and the Seven Sisters "Where the river meets the sea" 


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