Painting the South Downs in the Summer

Phacelia fields at Storrington 

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Oh my ! What a lovely Summer we're having ! So much glorious sunshine  ! 

 I've been busy making the most of it with lots of walks, except on the days that got a bit too hot! Phew!  

Here are just three of my favourites .....

Storrington .... 

This year we've been treated with the pretty purple fields of the Phacelia crops.  It's a green manure crop and the insects love it ! 

A visit to the South Downs at Storrington turned out to be a perfect day. Blue skies ,  fabulous flufy fair weather clouds , Phacelia and so very many wild flowers ...heaven 

The South Downs at Storrington 

 Most of the views that I paint tend to be in various shades of green so a touch of purple made a nice change 

                                                    "Phacelia to the Sea" 

"Phacelia to the Sea" Acrylic painting on canvas 

Hastings....
The weather rapidly grew hotter and a trip to the seaside was needed.  Hastings gave me another opportunity  to have some fun with different colours . I love  painting a bit  of seaside fun but it's really hard to get good reference photos. You just can't creep up on people on a pebble beach ..Crunch...Crunch....Crunch ..ha ha!  

These three  really caught my attention and was such a joy to paint 

                                       "A Nice Cup of Tea by the Sea" 

"A Nice Cup of Tea by the Sea" Acrylic seaside painting on canvas 

  Woodingdean....

My most recent walk too me around the harvest fields on the South Downs near Woodingdean. The paths take you around the old lost village of Balsdean and it's a wonderful peaceful place to walk.   

I headed down through Castle Hill nature reserve which was a delight of wild flowers and butterflies 

Heading down Castle Hill nature reserve 

On reaching the bottom I was greeted with the earthy colours of the Flax fields , now gone to seed and dotted with red Poppies . I don't know why but for some reason it made me think of a fabric design .  I rather liked it . 

Flax fields and Poppies 

 I have many more photos from this walk which can be found here Balsdean walk
 

                 The sky was full of Seagulls, I guess there had to have been about 700 ,  I've never seen so many ! 

I loved the views and would happily have spent all day there .  Painting it means I've kept the memory of that day to revisit whenever I wish  ...perfect .

                                                "The Harvest Path"  

"The Harvest Path" Painting the South Downs at Woodingdean 

 

 

 

 

 

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"

"Flying Time" Painting of Worthing pier

Worthing pier, Sussex

Well, the last 10 days have passed in a haze of sleepless nights and constant coughing ! I can cope with the cough but not getting much sleep just brings everything to a halt .
The most frustrating thing is that we've had some wonderful sunny weather and I've not been well enough to venture out.
I am feeling  better today and have decided to head back to last Summer when we visited Worthing .
I keep finding myself drawn to different and interesting types of architecture. Brighton pier is dominated by the Victorian curls and twirls . In contrast Worthing pier is full of curves and Art Deco influences.
 The Southern Pavilion at the end of the pier has recently been refurbished and looks rather splendid!

The Southern Pavilion on Worthing Pier

In the middle of the pier is the amusement arcade where a large Art Deco clock dominates the front of the building. I love the striking combination of the sharp lines against the curves of the structure, all topped of by the bright red sign on the top.

The Art Deco clock on Worthing Pier

This is the part of the pier that will be the main subject of my painting.
 It's here in the sunshine where you can sit and watch the seagulls swoop and fly by as they eagerly watch and wait for the fishermen to bring in their catch.

Work in progress              "Flying Time"  Acrylic on canvas 24"x 18" 

 I've been busy sketching out the composition . It's all very rough at the moment but at this stage all I need to do is mark in where everything will go and get the sky painted...

Sketching in the composition

  I sold a painting today so that was good news. Luckily I live just a short distance away from the post office so I didn't have to be out for long as I'm itching to get on with some more painting.
Alas not much progress today though. I have put in the first layer of the sea and started a few bits here and there....

Waiting for the sea to dry!

Lots of progress  building up the layers of paint and making a start on other areas of the composition. I've even added some of the finer detail...

Starting to build up the composition

It's now 3 days later and painting is going well!
 I had a break from it over the weekend to catch up with the boring things like housework. I can't paint if there are things to be done so a good blitz around the house leaves the coming week clear to crack on.
The composition will gradually start to come to life from now on as the finer detail is added .

Adding more depth to the colours and starting to define the smaller parts

The left hand side of the background is now complete , although using such small brushes means it is rather slow....but it's also addictive! Another 2-3 days should see it completed.
In the mean time I have sold another painting. The man in the Post Office is now greeting me with
"You again?" :)  Life is good.

Completing the left hand side of the background

So finally it's taken another 2 days of working on the detail and finishing off the remaining areas . It feels like it's been a long journey but I have thoroughly enjoyed spending my days thinking of nothing but the sunshine and seaside of Worthing beach :) ...
                                            "Flying Time" (Sold)
                            Acrylic on canvas 24"x 18" 

"Flying Time" Painting of Worthing pier, Sussex

"Southern Steam"

Steam engines at the Bluebell Railway

 We live just a couple of miles away from the Bluebell Railway and can often hear the "toot toot" of the steam trains from our garden.
It's an interesting place to visit and a delight to see a part our heritage in all it's glory!
My subject is the Class B473 locomotive. It was built in 1898 for the London, Brighton and South Coast railway so it seemed fitting to add it to my "Sussex by the Sea" collection...
                                                   "Southern Steam"
                                Acrylic on box canvas 20"x 16"x 1.5"

Painting the steam train B473 from the Bluebell Railway

Wall view of "Southern Steam"

This is the second engine I have painted from the Bluebell Railway, my previous one was titled "Full Steam" and is available as a ceramic picture tile .

"Full Steam" ceramic picture tile by Fiesta Studios 

http://www.prezents.com/Full-Steam-Decorative-Ceramic-Tile-By-Paula-Oakley-p2099.html

If you are interested in steam engines and the people that worked on them then you will love this blog
http://locksands.wordpress.com/2014/09/13/my-grandfathers-clock/

Painting Cuckmere Haven and the Seven Sisters

Some of my paintings of Cuckmere Haven and the Seven Sisters

Cuckmere Haven is one of my favourite places. The views over the sea against the backdrop of the Seven Sisters is stunning. So much colour and all so beautiful!
This is the fifth time I have painted a scene from the area and probably not the last.
I started my walk at Seaford beach climbing  up the steep slope of Seaford Head . Not exactly the easiest of walks but well worth the effort !

The walk along the cliff's edge was delightful, bright sunshine, warm breezes and an array of wild flowers to brighten my route

Walking along the cliff top at Seaford Head

The path took me past Hope Gap and on to the coast guard cottages at Cuckmere Haven and yet more wonderful views.

                                            "Cuckmere Haven"
                                         Acrylic on box canvas 32" x 16"x 1.5" 

Painting of the cottages and Seven Sisters

Painting Brighton Pier 's Helter Skelter

Brighton Pier

Clear blue skies and bright sunshine took me off to Brighton last week. I live less than 20 miles away but I don't go there very often as it can get so busy! Now and again though I just can't resist a visit to the Pier.
To me it evokes childhood memories of candy floss, sticks of rock, ice cream and last but not least....the fun fair!  A whole world of colour, lights, music and excitement! New rides that make you scream, rides that scare you and nostalgic rides that make you smile.
The Carousel is wonderful, so beautifully painted and constructed and  little has changed over the years

The carousel on Brighton Pier

but what really caught my imagination was the Helter Skelter.

Brighton Pier's Helter Skelter

The pier just wouldn't be the same without it towering above the fair like a giant stick of seaside rock, brightly painted and covered in lights. The perfect Summer seaside subject .
It's not going to be easy to paint but it will be fun!
Work in progress ...     
                                                           "Helter Skelter"
                                 Acrylic on box canvas 18"x 24"x 1.5"

Painting the Helter Skelter day 1

 After sketching out the composition I have begun to block in the larger areas by applying 3-4 coats of paint. Once dry I can start to add the tones and details.

Progress on painting the shadows and text

 It's seemed liked slow progress today. I've started to add some shading and text. There is so much small detail that I cannot get it all in! It would be easier on a flat surface but then it would start to look photographic which I don't want. I like a painting to look like a painting :)
It should all start to come together more tomorrow.

Adding more detail

 Another long day painting today! There's so much detail but I'm now over half way so it won't seem so daunting from now on.
It's now 2 days later...I decided to knuckle down and until it was finished. It's not been an easy subject to paint on this scale, there's so much detail and not enough space! If I ever paint it again it will be on a 5ft high canvas!
So here we are...
                                                     "Helter Skelter"
                                              Acrylic on box canvas 18"x 24"x 1.5"

The wonderful Helter Skelter on Brighton Pier

   Back on the beach the Helter Skelter stands proudly in the distance on the end of the pier, the perfect view on a sunshine day :)
                                                       "Pier View"
                                           Acrylic on box canvas 12"x 16"x 1.5"

The deck chairs and Brighton pier

"Fresh Fish and Seagulls" Fourth painting of the boats on The Stade, Hastings, East Sussex

Fishing boats on The Stade at Hastings, East Sussex

I decided to visit  Hastings again. I've already painted 3 pictures of the boats but couldn't resist another as it's definitely one of my favourite places along the Sussex coast.
The fishing fleet of 25 boats is the largest beach fleet in the country and they are  wonderful subjects for  painting! Colour, detail, history, character....Hastings beach has it all!
It was a lovely sunny day so I caught the train from Lewes and set off with camera in hand.
I spent 2 hours just wandering around the Stade ,soaking up the atmosphere and taking loads of photos of the boats. I also found a friendly fisherman selling the morning's catch from his hut.

Selling fresh fish at Hastings

I had a delightful day and I returned home full of eagerness to get painting.
"Bethan Louise" is the boat I have chosen . I watched it's fishermen for ages,whilst busy working they were throwing scraps of fresh fish onto the beach. This resulted in a frenzied and very noisy attack from masses of seagulls, all desperately trying to get the best bits. The whole scene was so typical of the area that I thought it would make a good composition for my painting...
                              "Fresh Fish and Seagulls"
                                                 Acrylic on box canvas 18"x 24"x 1.5"

Painting of a fishing boat at the Stade, Hastings

"Fresh Fish and Seagulls" Close up and wall views

More paintings of Hastings...
 "Days on the Stade"
"Pots and Dans"

"Draught and Dray" Painting the horse drawn dray of Harvey's Brewery

Harveys brewery, Lewes, Sussex

My favourite subjects to paint are the ones  that mix nostalgia with  modern day scenes .
I'm also very partial to a good ale! So imagine my delight when I discovered that my local brewery Harveys had reintroduced the brewery dray cart.
It was originally brought in for the Queen's visit last October but was so popular that they decided to keep using it for deliveries and special occasions.

Photo courtesy of Maple Leaf Carriages

The dray has not been used by the brewery for over a hundred years and well suits the historic streets of Lewes.
                                      The brewery...
Harveys is a family run brewery that has been around since 1790 . Situated in the center of the town the building is a very impressive landmark situated on the banks of the river Ouse. For more details please visit their website http://www.harveys.org.uk/the-brewery

                                       The horses...
The horses are supplied by Maple Leaf Carriage Company. A lovely pair of Shire horses called
 Monty and Winston. They  look splendid and of course enjoy the odd tipple now and again !

Monty and Winston enjoying a well earned pint...gallon!

 

http://www.mapleleafcarriages.com/shire-experience-days/ 

The dray...

The dray  is beautifully built and painted, laden with the barrels of beer it is a wonderful sight to see on the streets.

These are all topped off with a large comfortable cushion where you will find Barney enjoying the scenery ... I'm sure he gets a lot of attention too!

Harveys dray

Of course being "top dog" means proudly wearing your best Harveys coat !

Barney helping with the beer delivery. Photo courtesy of Jon Tooley

                                           The painting...
                                     "Draught and Dray"
Work in progress...Acrylic on box canvas 18"x 24"x 1.5"
 It's rather a complicated painting with lots of detail so it's going to take quite a while to complete.
I'm on my third day of painting, gradually building up the layers of colour so that I can work on the detail. 
 

Work in progress "Draught and Dray"

 I made good progress today. The painting is starting to come together now. Tomorrow I should be able to start on the finer details where I'm happy with the depth of colour. I shall also make a start on the remaining areas.

The painting is now starting to come togeher

It's felt like slow progress today as I've been adding some of the finer detail. The harness is almost completed and I've started work on the other horse...

Starting to paint in some detail and the second horse

Well, after many hours of painting I have finally completed the picture. It's been a delightful subject to paint !
                                                  "Draught and Dray"
                                Acrylic on box canvas 18"x 24"x 1.5"

The Harveys dray with Monty and Winston