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"

"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

 

Painting the Summer in Winter

Back to the seaside

The dark bleak days have arrived.
This is the time of the year that I dislike the most and struggle to keep upbeat and enthusiastic.
 This year however I have decided that my best plan of action will be to stay with the memories of the Summer , the bright colourful seaside days !
 I made sure to make as many trips to the coast that I could in preparation of the dark Winter months, I hope my plan works!
My first painting takes me back to the glorious sunshine of Worthing beach in West Sussex.
 Blue skies, fishing boats and views of the pier..

                            "Port side to Pier" Worthing, Sussex (Sold)
                                         Acrylic on canvas  

"Port side to Pier" Painting of Worthing beach, Sussex

My next seaside memory is of the people relaxing on the beach. Hot sunny days, the sound of the sea and a good bottle of wine! ;)

                                                          "Sun Soaked"
                                    

"Sun Soaked" Acrylic beach painting

"Seaside Seagulls" Painting Brighton pier and seagulls

Brighton pier, Sussex

 The Summer is starting to fade away, the evenings are getting darker and the wonderful sunny days are getting less. This however does not mean I'm ready to leave it behind.... I will have to be dragged kicking and screaming into the Autumn !
 I am so very reluctant to leave the Summer colours and sunshine that have inspired me over the past few months. So much so that for now I shall continue with my very own extended Summer!
My latest painting came about after watching the seagulls on Brighton beach. They get some very bad press but most of their misbehaving is brought about by people feeding them.
Their antics can be very amusing and love them or hate them Brighton just wouldn't be the same without them!
                                   "Seaside Seagulls"
                                     Acrylic on canvas 20"x 16"

"Seaside Seagulls" Acrylic painting on canvas

"Cupcake Temptation" in Artist and Illustrators magazine

Today I received my copy of the May 2015 edition of the Artist and Illustrators magazine and was delighted to see that my still life painting "Cupcake Temptation" has been published in the Portfolio Plus section.
Such a lovely way to start the Spring season :) 
The cake was pretty good too!

"Cupcake Temptation" Acrylic still life painting

Artist and Illustrators magazine May2015 

For sale, please click here to visit my gallery page for more images

"No-Ale, No-Ale" Painting with a little festive fun!

Newick village in the snow !

Well it's that time of year again when the weather forecasters start trying to predict what the Winter will bring. Some are saying it will be severe. This made me think about the consequences of such weather on our rural little village of Newick and I thought I would have a little bit of artistic fun.
 So wrap up warm and join me in a little festive Christmas carol ....

"No-Ale No-Ale No-Ale No-Ale,
We've drunk all the beer and we now have No- Ale!"

"There is no ale" the barman did say.
On a cold winter's night the snow's caused a delay.
The road's are all closed, "Oh no!" We did cry.
The bottles are empty, the barrels are dry!" 

                                          "No-Ale, No-Ale"
                                      Acrylic on stretched canvas 12"x 15"

Painting with a little Christmas cheer!

                   Cards available at Redbubble

"Pip and Katy", cat portrait painting for an Un-Birthday

Lately I have been busy working on a commission for a lady that wanted it as birthday present for her daughter.
 My brief was to paint the two pet cats and to incorporate their names into the picture.
Obviously I needed plenty of reference material, so my client set off, camera in hand to"stalk" the animals in question. All this had to be kept secret or the surprise would have been spoiled. Photographing cats is not always as easy as it looks!
Eventually we ended up with a selection for me to work from.
 My immediate thought was of traditional head poses with their names written below...but....that's just not my style! Instead I decided to create a composition that would put the cats into a relevant scene.
 In some of the photos I was able to see the soft furnishings in their house, I reproduced these in the painting by decorating the cushions and cat rug with the same colours and patterns.
Then I added the cats names by making them look like they were appliqued cushions.
It all worked really well and I'm delighted to say that both my client and her daughter love it!
                                      
                                                        "Pip and Katy"
                                  Acrylic 16"x 20"x1.5"

What I havn't mentioned is that the birthday in question isn't until Christmas!  Unable to keep the painting a secret for so long we decided to hold a surprise Un-Birthday celebration.

 I made a "Happy Not Your Birthday" card, wine was drunk and candles blown out on cup cakes :) 

Just like the Disney song from "Alice in wonderland" a very merry un-birthday to you ....

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdsZT7WKjW8

" Summertime Downs" Landscape painting of Beddingham and Mount Caburn, Sussex

This Summer my sister and I have been out and about on various walks. The locations depend on the weather and how clear the view is so that I can get the best photos.
A couple of weeks ago we made the most of the wonderful sunshine and went up to the top of Beddingham  Hill, Sussex. The views were stunning ! From Mount Caburn,  to Lewes and the sea at Newhaven.

The view from Beddingham Hill looking north towards Lewes on the left

It's often so windy up on the South Downs that it's hard to hold the camera still enough to take good photos, but this day was perfect! I now have so many that I'm spoilt for choice as to which view I will paint first.

The wonderful chalk paths, part of the South Downs Way

I love the chalk tracks against the patchwork fields, a never ending path of The South Downs Way and the views go on for ever!

Looking out to sea over Newhaven and fields of red poppies.

For my first painting of the area I have decided on the little picturesque village of Beddingham that sits at the foot of Mount Caburn.

 A scattering of houses and farms nestled among the hills where artists such as Eric Ravilious would stay and delight in the surrounding and inspirational views.

"Furlongs" by Eric Ravilious

On the top of the 480 ft Mount Caburn is an Iron Age fort and is regularly seen among a multitude of colourful hang gliders soaring on the breeze.

Both the village and Mount Caburn make a wonderful subject for my painting..              

                                                                     

"Summertime Downs"

Acrylic on box canvas 20"x 16"x 1.5" 

looking over the village of Beddingham towards Mount Caburn

 

 Here are a couple of links if you would like to know more about Eric Ravilious and the Beddingham artists

http://jamesrussellontheweb.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/familiar-visions-eric-ravilious-sussex.html

http://itstartedwithajug.blogspot.co.uk/

"The Bulldog Blues" Still life painting with guitar

THE STORY:
He's awoken  by the sound of the letterbox. There on the door mat is an envelope with just his name handwritten on the front. He opens it, it's from his girl friend. A short but precise note stating that the relationship is over.
 With the note is the door key and the ring she nagged him for all last Summer.
He knows there is no point in trying to change her mind, he's too proud to beg, too stubborn to admit he really cares. Anyway, it means he can now do as he pleases, a new found freedom.
 An indomitable bulldog spirit is all that's required.
 But deep down it hurts.
 So for now he'll pour a glass of good ale, pick up his guitar and compose himself  "The Bulldog Blues"
THE BEER:

It was the label that first drew my attention to this bottle of beer. I love the design. Simple, fun and very British ! I don't usually like dark ales but in the name of art I thought I would just have to try it ;) I was pleasantly surprised, it's really smooth and fruity, no harsh after taste like so many of the dark ales. It's definately going back on my shopping list ! It's brewed by Nethergate Brewery in Essex. Check out their other beers here Nethergate Brewery 

THE PAINTING:
Acrylic on box canvas, 20"x 24"x 1.5"
I've sketched up the composition using a simple grid and started to block in the background colour using 3 layers of paint...

I've now done more work on the background by putting in some texture and started the underpainting on other areas. The jumper and beer have been added as well. Made good progress today...

 I've started to build up the layers of colour on the guitar. More detail was added to the top left and I painted in the records ...yes..we still have records! ;) Not such a clear photo of it today....

The next step was to work on the denim, I also started the top of the guitar. I't begining to look like a picture now :)

 I've made good progress on the guitar today. It's taken ages to get the fiddly bits right but it's good to get them done. Still have a lot to do to the guitar but I really need it to dry overnight so I can add some more tomorrow ...

 I had a good day painting and managed to get it finished . Growler brewery love it ! :)

"The Bulldog Blues"

Acrylic on box canvas 20"x 24"x 1.5"

"Bull Dog Blues" still life with guitar

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"Paint-Ted", Still life painting of a teddy bear

For a bit of fun I thought I would paint my little teddy bear again. The first time I painted him was for the Eightbyeight project http://www.eightbyeight.org/ ,along with a painting of a pink toy fairy

.
 They were only 8" square so I thought I would paint him a bit bigger.

He sits in my room next to an old honey pot that I keep my small brushes in, watching me work with an intense look of concentration on his face. Seemed only right to paint him "in situ" :)
Work in progress "Paint-Ted" Acrylic on box canvas 24"x 12"x 1.5"

Today I concentrated on the left hand side of the painting. The glass of water and paint tubes are just about done.Still more to do on the bear but he's getting there...

 Added the honey pot and brushes on the right hand side. It's odd painting something that sits and stares at you! A brighter photo of it today as the sun's shining at last!

The sun's still shining and I've finished painting my little bear...I hope he approves!

"Paint-Ted"

Acrylic on box canvas 24"x 12"x 1.5"

Still life with teddy bear

Prints and cards

http://paula-paintmyworld.blogspot.co.uk/p/still-life-paintings-for-sale.html#.Umv8HhCzsgR