Springtime in Sussex

A Springtime path in Sussex 

 

Spring is most definitely my favourite season . The trees and hedges burst into an array of exquisite greens  and  wild flowers appear in abundance.  

I am so fortunate to be surrounded by lovely countryside and so many interesting paths to follow. 

This year it was the Ermine moth caterpillars that made me smile, they had covered so many hedges with their webs that it looked like something from Halloween !  

 

 

 

Ermine moth caterpillars 

 The downland and fields greeted me with flowers where the butterflies flitted and danced in the sun 

 

Daisies on the South Downs 

 

Phacelia and Poppies on the South Downs  

 There were also days that were just too hot for long walks so we went to Ashdown forest in the cool shade of the trees and the streams . The iron rich earth makes the water almost glow 

 
 

Stream on Ashdown forest  

Iron rich streams 

 

 

 

 More pictures from my walks Here 

 

Also there were trips to the coast  and of course painting .  I'm very thankful  to have had several sales over the past couple of months  which means I can keep happily painting :) 

 

 On a misty day the waves gently flow over the smooth sea worn chalk below the cliffs , contrasting with the textures of the pebbles on the beach. 

"Sea Mist and Chalk Water " 

Acrylic on canvas 16" x 20"  

Painting the beach at Newhaven 

Another South Downs painting

At the top of Kingston Ridge near Lewes, Sussex 

The unpredictable days of March bring everything from sunshine to hail . As a fairweather person It makes it hard to plan a walk . I needed a plan B so I decided to paint a view from one of my favourite places . I need no excuses for another South Downs painting, in fact it turns out to be my  114th ! Oh my goodness , I didn't expect that ! .  

Kingston Ridge is situated just South West of Lewes in Sussex and is on the South Downs Way . It's quite a steep climb up there but it's well worth it as the views are amazing !  I have vowed to walk there every year until my knees won't let me . 

Views over the Ouse valley from Kingston Ridge 

 In late Spring the  Hawthorn blossom looks beautiful with views over the Ouse Valley towards Mt. Caburn and Firle Beacon 

Hawthorn blossom on the South Downs 

 There are two  chalk tracks that lead up to the top, this is one of them .

 Each is as picturesque as the other .

Chalk track on Kingston Ridge 

 There is also a narrow path just to the south which is very steep in places . These days I prefer to go down it rather than up !  It's so very pretty , grassy banks filled with flowers and butterflies dancing on the breeze .

Wild flowers on the grassy bank by the footpath 

 On one occasion I sat for ages watching a Kestrel hover and fly around me , it was a perfect day .

Heading down the path towads Kingston 

There's a stile half way down which has fabulous views over Kingston village, Ashcombe windmill and Lewes in the far distance . A pefect composition for a painting and a lovely memory for me :) 

                                                      "Down from the Ridge " 

                                                          Acrylic on canvas 24" x 18"  

Painting the South Downs at Kingston 

 

  Some close ups of the painting 

At the bottom of the hill the path leads onto a lane which takes you past the pretty flint  Church with it's Sussex tapsel gate  

The tapsel gate at Kingston chuch 

                                       and The Juggs .....for a well deserved pint ! 

The Juggs at Kingston 

 

Painting the Autumn trees

 Paintings for sale

For a while it seemed as if Summer  was going to go on forever, but all good things come to an end and Autumn  has arrived .  

Autumn in the woods 

 

This year the trees and hedgerows are a mass of berries, nuts and seeds . Nature's colourful jewels . 

  They call it a   'mast year '.  My  paths on  recent walks have been covered in thousands of acorns !  It's made walking rather slippery underfoot and with so many falling I've been hit on the head a few times as well ! I think I need a hard hat ! ha ha! 

Acorns on the footpath 

It's been a long, long time since I have painted a still life composition but with such an abundance of wonderful subject matter I couldn't wait to get started .

I gathered plenty of bits and pieces so that I could try various arrangements . 

My colourful selection of Autumn fruits, nuts and berries 

  I put a selection into an old Sussex earthenware mug and the colours worked together really well . 

It took a long time to paint but I loved every minute and now I get to see the lovely colours of Autumn every day . 

 

Hedgerow Harvest 

"Hedgerow Harvest" Autumn still life painting 

                                                                         

 As usual the weather is rather unsettled which makes planning walks difficult.  I've explored some interesting old woodland where the streams run orange because of the iron ore in the soil 

Woodland stream coloured orange by iron ore 

I also met a vey friendly tree ! Just for a moment I thought it was going to speak to me . Thankfully it didn't as I'm not good at running theses days  

A vey friendly looking tree! 

 I've been on some great walks but It really needs sunshine to see the Autumn colours at their best. 

Fortunately I was blessed with one such day. A day when the sun breaks through the trees resulting in golden highlights ...magical ! 

                                                       "Autumn Alchemy"  

"Autumn Alchemy "  woodland  acrylic painting

                                                            

                                                   "Autumn Amble" 

Painting of horses along the bridleway 

             
                                                                     Paintings for sale

 More photos from my walks can be found here My inspiring walks

 

Springtime on the South Downs

Springtime on the South Downs

Paintings for sale

Springtime  arrived and all I can say is "WOW!"  It's been so wonderfully sunny and the blossom has been stunning!
 I've not painted anything for a few weeks though. Sadly sales this year are dreadful ,  not just for me but for many , many other artists as well. I've no idea if things will improve or for how long I'll be able to continue painting. Only time will tell on that . 

In the present circumstances the sunshine has been a real blessing . It's been really good to get out and about in the tranquility of countryside around me.  Fabulous views and the scent of blossom in air . 

My first walks were around Wivelsfield and Chelwood Gate . Days of beautiful Bluebells , carpets of  Wild Garlic and some lovely old twisted trees .

 

Bluebells and Wild Garlic on my walk

   My Chelwood Gate walk took me along some very old paths  to Furner's Green and  Sheffield mill  

The path from Furner's Green to Sheffield mill

  Bluebell season is always short lived and it's a matter of getting out and about as much as possible to see them . I'm surrounded by woods that are full of them but this year I decided to explore a few different paths and places . I wasn't disappointed  and I discovered some interesting places along the way .

The Bluebells faded  and were quickly replaced by an explosion of Cow Parsley and Hawthorn blossom. Everywhere turned white and green ! 

 The Hawthorn has put on a magnificent display this year , I presume it's because of the weather being so dry, hot and sunny.   

This time my walks took me around Lewes Brooks. It's a nice easy flat walk and a must for bird watchers . The new wetlands at Lewes are great place to just sit and watch the wildlife 

Cow Parsley and Hawthorn blossom around Lewes Brooks

                                 

Of course I couldn't let Spring pass without a couple of walks on the South Downs . 

My first was to Ditchling beacon, it was more of a wander rather than a walk , a delightful dawdle . 

 I decided to descend via Westmeston bostal as it was one of the very few paths that I hadn't walked.  It's not great underfoot. Steep, rain worn and rutted, with loose flints and chalk ....   my knees didn't thank me for that one! Ha ha!  

It was all so very pretty . Lots of wildflowers and the views were stunning  ....

Ditchling beacon and Westmeston bostal

Finally I headed down to Rodmell . I took the path over to Telscombe and back via Cricketing bottom. I couldn't believe that it's been 10 years since I last done this walk . Where did that time go ?  Not only was the Hawthorn in blossom but I was treated to a purple field full of Phacelia and Red Clover which looked amazing!  

Rodmell to Telscombe

I have to say that this really is my favourite time of the year !

 

Winter at Firle in Sussex

It's now February and thankfully we are now in  the last few weeks of Winter . 

 It's been it's usual grey bleak wet days with just a few frosty mornings and even a smidgen of snow ! 

I've had to keep my Winter walks local so as to get out and about before everything thaws . 

My first walk was at North Chailey over part of the common and some of the nearby fields.It was cold and crisp and felt so good to get out at last ! The Exmoor ponies were grazing near the windmill but headed off too quickly for me to get a photo of them. 

Winter walk at North Chailey

 

My next frosty walk took me just a couple of miles south to Chailey Green. By now there had been a small amount of snow fall overnight . It didn't really show as there had been so very little, but  it resulted in  my paths being an interesting  mix of ice, snow , frost and mist .

Winter walk at Chailey green 

 I have to admit that this is one of my favourite areas to walk . Lots of different paths through the Sussex countryside and it changes so much with the seasons

 

Walking over the icy fields

 

 . It never fails to inspire me to paint ...perfect  

                                                        "Wintertide" 

"Wintertide"  Acrylic painting on canvas 24" x 18" 

                                         "Winter Sun"       

"Winter Sun " Acrylic painting on canvas 

 

Another venture was a visit to Firle .  There had been a small amount of snow  that had settled mainly on the high points of the South Downs . It looked rather wonderful and such a rare sight to see .

Snow at Firle village

 We didn't go up to the top as the road was rather icy and I didn't want to risk slipping and breaking something....like me!  Plus as pretty as it looks a vast landscape of white doesn't give me much to paint .

Instead my husband and I took a slow stroll around the village and church , it's a lovely place with lots of very old flint built buildings . It also had the added bonus of a four legged friend that guided us all the way around the church yard  .... 

Our four legged guide

 

 

 I doubt  that we'll see any more frost or snow for this year , even if I'm wrong my mind is now on the brighter and more colourful days of Spring  . The lush greens, the glorious sound of birdsong and the scent of Bluebells in the air ..... 

                                                 "Springtime Brook"

 

"Springtime Brook" Acrylic on canvas 24" x18"

 Paintings for sale  

 It was mid July ....then I blinked and it's now November ! Ha ha, I don't know what happened but the time has flown by ! So what have I been up to ?

Well, although the Summer started off well the weather soon turned rather dreary for the rest of it.

 My walks have been shorter this year and I decided to do more exploring of the access land on The South Downs .  It turned out to be a good idea as I've been able to view the surroundings from different angles and discover more wonderful scenes to paint.  

The Hawthorn berries especially looked good  , bright splashes of vivid red lighting up the grassy slopes  as in my painting below. 

 "Beacon Blaze"

 

Summer ended and Autumn opened it's door . This is the time when bonfire night celebrations start and also time to dress up and enjoy the fun !  My costume is a celebration of Autumn . It was all about experimenting with different fabrics and paints .  

It was a brilliant evening, our village always puts on an amazing event and it was good to be part of it  . If you wish to know more then you can find out here Newick Bonfire Society

Next I took part in the "anonymous heART" project.  This was an art auction to raise funds for heart research . I contributed two 7" x 5" paintings and raised £320 which I was delighted with .

 It's now mid November  and I've been out and about in the woods , exploring new  wonderful paths around mid Sussex

and  painting....of course  :) 

"November Sun " Acrylic on canvas 24" x 18"