Well, Spring became one very muddy walk after another and seemed to go on forever ! The Bluebell season came and went giving a much needed display of colour.

As the weather started to improve  I decided I would start exploring some of the higher paths. My first being a walk up Wolstonbury Hill. The cowslips adorned the slopes and the views were amazing . It was a raher slow walk though, the climb is very steep and not for the faint hearted ! 

Wolstonbury Hill

I made it  ! 

 

On top of Wolstonbury Hill

 Then, everything turned white. The Cow Parsley rose and  flowered and the Hawthorn trees surpassed themselves with more blossom than I've ever seen .  The South Downs were transformed into a superb landscape of lush greens and fresh white blossom. 

Under blue skies and sunshine I explored some paths around Sompting and Sullington in West Sussex ....it was all rather wonderful :) 

 Sompting , Sussex

It was the view towards Cissbury Ring that really caught my eye and became my next painting ....

                                 "May Days and Chalk Ways "  Acrylic on canvas 24" x 20" 

Painting of the South Downs , Sompting, West Sussex

Autumn paintings

Autumn seems to have arrived late this year, rather like me keeping up with this Blog ! Ha ha!
I don't think anyone really reads it but it's good for me to be able to look back at my artistic journey. To see what does or doesn't work .
I'm still out walking and posting pictures from my walks on my Facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/groups/138021407053592/
I'm also still busy painting and posting my works in progress on my art page here Paula Oakley Art

My Autumn quest started several weeks ago, I was looking for something a little different, a bit more challenging. My travels took me to Ditchling Beacon on the South Downs just as the sun was starting to fade away. The soft evening light was just wonderful , creating a blend of peach and purple hues.
These were new colours for me to explore . I liked the idea of focusing on the South Downs Way sign post as it gave a good sense of direction to my painting

                                     "The Twilight Way" 
                    (Acrylic on canvas 24"x18")

Painting of Ditchling Beacon at sunset

 Then I waited for the trees to change colour...and waited....and waited ...but nothing seemed to happen for ages ! Very slowly the yellows and oranges crept in and very quickly the rain came ! The weather was against me and my walks became few and far between. 
At this time of year I don't venture far from home as the light fades away so quickly and the low sun can make the woods seem very dark and rather eerie ! 
Luckily I am surrounded by beautiful countryside that constantly changes and a delight to see.
I headed to North Chailey and found just what I was looking for to paint .
                                        "Autumn Path" 

Painting the Autumn colours from my walk to North Chailey

  The break in the weather was short lived and once again I was housebound by the rain. I did try a couple of walks but the ground was so very wet and many of my paths were totally flooded . 
Again I waited...and waited until the sun eventually broke through. Once again I headed towards Chailey  where I have several favourite walks.
 There is a gate along one of the paths and whenever I reach it a Pheasant suddenly flies up into the air screeching . It always makes me jump !  Here  the rain had made large puddles that beautifully reflected the trees above. A perfect scene to paint ! 

                                                   "After the Autumn Rain" 

"After the Autumn rain" Acrylic painting on canvas

 

 

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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"Tea and a Nobbly Bobbly" Painting The Old Bathing Station kiosk at Bexhill, Sussex

Bexhill-on-sea

I've been weather watching . This time of year is so unpredictable that it's hard to plan days out.
 For good reference photos I need sunshine and good visibility. Last Saturday however looked promising so we headed off to Bexhill-on-sea.
I can't remember going there before, it has a reputation as a retirement resort so I expected it to be small and not very interesting.
I was wrong!
The De La Warr Pavilion is a creative arts center and well worth a visit if you're in the area
http://www.discoverbexhill.com/attractions/delawarrpavilion.php

The beach is much bigger than I expected with rows of beach huts and ornate shelters. It's all very clean and very white!


Now, I have nothing against white and it all looks lovely, but as an artist that paints bright colourful paintings I wasn't feeling very optimistic about finding a scene that I would like to use in a composition. But, the weather was wonderful so we took a stroll along the seafront and enjoyed the views over the sea.
We hadn't walked far when to my delight I found just what I wanted...The Old Bathing Station .
A lovely little kiosk selling food, drinks and ice creams.
I people watched for a while.
 It made me think that no matter what age you are there is something rather special about sitting by the sea with a hot cup of tea or coffee and treating yourself to your favourite ice cream :)
This I decided would be the theme for my painting.....
                                    "Tea and a Nobbly Bobbly"
                                 ( Acrylic on canvas 24"x18")
Work in progress....It's taken quite a while to sketch out the composition as some parts were a bit complicated to focus on , but as the under painting progresses then it becomes a lot easier and clearer.

Sketching in and starting to add the first layers of paint 

Next I had to add a large amount of the shadows to enable me to start work on the foreground. Whilst areas dry I  worked on the smaller details elsewhere.
 

Starting to add the shadows and finer details to The Old Bathing Station (Bexhill beach)

 Today I had a good long painting session. The kiosk is now completed and I've made a bit more progress on the other areas. Next I shall be using some really tiny brushes and start bringing the picture to life .

Completing the detail on the kiosk.

 Finally it's finished :) ....

                                  "Tea and a Nobbly Bobbly" (Bexhill)  

"Tea and a Nobbly Bobbly" Painting The Old Bathing Station on Bexhill seafront

 

"Large Cod and Chips" Painting Brighton pier and the launch of Cass Art

Cass Art store and Brighton paintings

 Not only has Spring finally arrived but my trips to Brighton have just got so much better!
Last weekend saw the launch of the new Cass Art store in the Lanes of Brighton so we popped down to have a look.
The store looks great. It's bright , spacious and easy to navigate. The products are easy to find and are at exceptionally good prices. Up until now there's been very few places to buy art supplies, just odd bits and pieces in various shops and all rather expensive . I have been ordering online but it isn't the same as actually seeing and feeling the colours and textures.

Cass Art,  Market Street,  Brighton

I had an interesting chat with the manager Stuart

a very nice man that kindly took the time to explain the vision of the future which will include coffee mornings to enable artists to meet up and share their news and ventures. I was also delighted with a gift of a goody bag to take home with me containing a selection of sample products ...

Then I found the ACRYLICS!   :)

Cass Art acrylic range

Oooooooh! The full selection and £2 a tube (150ml) cheaper than I can buy locally ! Check out their full range
https://www.cassart.co.uk/
 Oh how much brighter my trips to Brighton will be!
Now onto the painting...
 There is of course nothing quite like a Springtime trip to the seaside for blowing away the Winter cobwebs.
Wrapping up snug and warm in the chilly sea breezes whilst being mesmerized by the turbulent waves crashing down on the pebbled beach,
then warming up with a portion of steaming hot traditional British fish and chips.....perfect!

I loved the challenge of this painting. A mixture of detail and different angles. The colour combinations work really well and has a real feel of Brighton beach .
                                              "Large Cod and Chips"
                                                        Acrylic on canvas 24"x 18"

"Large Cod and Chips" Painting of Brighton pier and beach



I'm looking forward to the return of the Spring sunshine and continuing to add to my Brighton series of paintings (all of which are already sold.) and of course popping in to Cass Art as I pass .

Acrylic paintings of Brighton by me.... Paula Oakley

So far It's been an amazing year...
Not only have I sold 11 paintings in 10 weeks but last week .......
                                                              I got married :) <3 nbsp="" p="">                                                         

 

"Love on a sea breeze!" Eastbourne, Sussex

Eastbourne beach and pier

February has arrived, the month of romance.
The days are getting longer and  flowers are starting to come into bloom...a sign that Spring is on the horizon.
It is a month of unpredictable weather when we wrap up warm and embrace the days of sunshine.
These are the moments that make memories.
 Moments together.
Moments that need no words......
                                        "Love on a sea breeze"
                                                Acrylic on canvas 24"x 18" 

"Love on a sea breeze" Painting a little romance on Eastbourne beach, Sussex

 

"Naps, Tatts and Doughnuts" Painting a very British day on Brighton Pier

Brighton Pier

This Christmas I have decided not to paint anything festive, instead I am going back to the wonderful hot sunshine days of Summer !
Several of my trips this year took me down to Brighton, it's only 18 miles away from my home and as I don't drive it's not only easy to get to but also one of the most colourful resorts.
I love wandering along the Pier, it captures such a typical atmosphere of a traditional British seaside.
Ice cream, sticks of rock, candy floss, fun fair, deck chairs and much much more!
As a bit of fun I thought I would create a composition that would capture a little of the seaside spirit.
It's going to be slow progress and probably won't be finished until the New Year but it will definitely be fun to paint!
Work in progress ......   "Naps, Tatts and Doughnuts" 
Acrylic on canvas 24"x 18" 

Starting to paint a lighthearted scene of Brighton Pier

  It's taken quite a while to sort out the composition and each part will take several layers of paint to achieve the depth that I want. There's a lot of fine detail to work on and add as I progress.

Gradually bringing the painting to life

 Little by little the painting comes to life. I'm about two thirds of the way through it now. The shadows and highlights start to bring the painting "alive" and the title makes more sense !

Christmas day has now passed and I've been busy painting between cooking  lots of festive goodies .
It's taken longer than any other painting I have worked on but I have enjoyed every brush stroke. 
So now finally I have finished my last painting of 2015 :) 

                                 "Naps, Tatts and Doughnuts" 

"Naps, Tatts and Doughnuts" Painting a lighthearted scene of Brighton Pier, Sussex

 

"Under the Arches" Painting the cafe and Smoked Fish shop on Brighton seafront

Brighton seafront, Sussex

One of the things that I like about Brighton is the abundance of Victorian architecture . It's so flamboyant and colourful !
On a recent trip I spent some time just west of the pier, here the Fisherman's museum is situated under one of the Victorian arches of Kings Road. It's an interesting spot with  fishing boats and fresh seafood for sale as you can see in the photo above.
Next to the museum is the Smoked Fish shop and cafe where I decided to stop for lunch.
Sitting on the wall outside I was kept amused by the mischievous antics of a seagull.

He would take a few steps into the fish shop, look either way then quickly run out again. He kept this up for about ten minutes until he eventually realized that he wasn't going to be able to steal anything. The seagulls must be a real nuisance to them but it was very comical to watch.
The fish shop is adorned with a variety of signs and boards just like the cafe next to it. They're both a little quirky in appearance and blend it perfectly with their Victorian surroundings.
Originally I was going to paint them separately but because of the sloping path above them it meant that the dimensions would not work well. So I am painting them on a canvas 24"x 12" ....
There's quite a bit of detail to cover and although progress is slow it's very enjoyable to paint.
Work in progress......

                               "Under the Arches"

 Painting in the main parts of the composition

 

Today was spent making a start on the shadows and signs

Painted a little bit here, there and everywhere. It's slow work but it's now starting to come together.

....and finally after an awful lot of painting, it is all finished ....

"Under the Arches" Painting of the cafe and Smoked Fish shop on Brighton seafront

Close up view

Wall view

                                   

"Lollipops and lace" Summer ice cream painting and Firle Vintage air

The Vintage Fair at Firle Place, Sussex

I have been hoping for another good seaside trip but the best sunshine days seem to only fall at the weekends. I don't like crowded places so the weekends are no good to me.
We did however spend a lovely day at the Vintage Fair that is held at Firle Place in East Sussex.
Firle place is a splendid house, nestled at the foot of the South Downs with stunning views over the Sussex Weald.

Firle Place, East Sussex

It was a glorious Summer's day and the grounds were filled with traditional fair ground rides, vintage cars and a large selection of stalls selling various retro themed items. The cider tent also seemed to be very popular !
It was a very English  "strawberries and cream" sort of day.
For several months now I have wanted to find a colourful ice cream van to paint and add to my Summertime collection, but the only one that I really liked was a van called Vintage Scoops
 that I had seen in Lewes town a few times. Unfortunately it was parked in the shade  which wasn't ideal as the colours didn't look their best.  Imagine my delight when I spotted it at the fair!
I love the creative and fun thinking that they have put together and I'm going to love painting it even more.....
Work in progress.....
                                           " Lollipops and Lace"
                                                 Acrylic on canvas 24"x 18"
 It's taken a couple of days to get the composition sketched out as there will be quite a bit of detail involved. I need to build up areas of opaque colour first to give me a base to work on...

Starting to paint the ice cream van

I've spent several hours today on the inside of the van. There's quite a lot of flags and bits and pieces that need painting then putting into the shade before I can progress onto the outside. A large area of the windows have writing on so I need to make sure the paint has dried right out before I can continue.

Starting to paint the inside of the van

I have been working on some of the detail which puts more colour into the composition. The embroidered table cloth now needs the shading added ...

Adding a bit more detail to the composition

I have spent today painting bits and pieces all over the place! I made a couple of small alterations, there wasn't really anything wrong but there was a few things that were niggling me.
The van is beginning to shape up a bit more now and adding some of the shadows has given it more depth. I'm happy with it so far.
I have a busy Bank Holiday weekend ahead so I shall continue painting on Monday.  :)

Adding the shading to the painting starts to give it more depth

I'm back after spending a lovely weekend with my children and grandchildren, luckily the weather stayed dry and we even saw a bit of sunshine! Today I'm back home and it's raining once again!  Oh well, a good excuse to get on with the painting.  It's been another day of painting a bit here and a bit there but I'm happy with the progress and expect to have it finished in a couple of days...

Good progress being made on the painting

It's been an interesting and fun composition to paint and the ladies from Vintage Scoops love it :) ...

                                               "Lollipops and Lace"
                                                      Acrylic on canvas 24"x 18"

Painting of the Vintage Scoops ice cream van