"By the water's edge" Painting the wildflowers along the river bank

It just wouldn't be Summer without a leisurely walk along the river.
There are some lovely footpaths on the outskirts of my village that allow me to indulge in some lazy daydreams and riverside delights.
A vast array of wildflowers where dragon flies dart and swoop among the spikes of  Purple-loosestrife and the fluffy scented clouds of Meadowsweet.
Summer at it's best!
I wanted to capture the wildness and colours. The dragonflies are highlighted with metallic blue so that they catch the light, just as they do by the river.

                                               "By the water's edge"
                                        Acrylic on canvas

"By the water's edge" Painting the wildflowers along the river bank

 Close up and wall views....

 Prints, cushions etc available at http://www.redbubble.com/people/poak/works/22704987-by-the-waters-edge?asc=u&p=chiffon-top&rel=carousel

 

"A glimpse of Marbled White" Painting the wild flowers on Malling Down, Lewes

Malling Down nature reserve, Lewes, Sussex

The arrival of July takes me on a walk up Malling Down on the outskirts of Lewes.
 It's quite a steep walk but worth every moment! The views across the Sussex Weald are magnificent

Views from Malling Down overlooking the Sussex Weald

and as you can see I couldn't have wished for better weather.
Malling down is a nature reserve renowned at this time of year for it's wild flowers and butterflies. I wasn't too sure what to expect but as I approached the steep slopes of the coombe the area became increasingly more colourful with the vast array of flowers and grasses. I spent quite a while here just taking it all in and watching hundreds of Marbled White butterflies dance among the flower heads.
Pure heaven!
This is also a great place to get a good view of Lewes town nestled among the South Downs.

The coombe, Malling, Lewes

All in all a perfect day and I really wanted to try and capture some of it's essence in a painting....

                                 "A glimpse of Marbled White"
                               Acrylic on canvas 32"x 18"x 1.5"
 

"A glimpse of Marbled White" 

Close up views of the painting...

"Beyond to Kingston Ridge" Painting the South Downs

The view of The South Downs looking towards Kingston, Lewes, Sussex

There's still a couple of areas on the outskirts of Lewes that I have not yet explored so I decided to rectify this and headed to the west side of the town . It was a partially sunny day , not glorious sunshine but enough for a very pleasant walk .
I set off by following the track that runs behind Lewes prison and headed off on a circular route over the downs as shown below by the dotted line.

The fields were golden and delightfully edged by vibrant red poppies swaying gently in the breeze.

  The views were wonderful !
 Looking south (over Ashcombe house towards the village of Kingston) the harvest fields  perfectly complimented the lush green slopes of the South Downs.
From my view point I could  also see the recently restored Ashcombe Windmill with it's unusual six sails  http://www.sussexmillsgroup.org.uk/ashcombe.htm  .
I just loved this view and couldn't wait to get painting!

                       "Beyond to Kingston Ridge"
                           

"Beyond to Kingston Ridge" Painting of the South Downs at Lewes, Sussex

                                    Acrylic on canvas 24"x 18" 
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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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Buttercups, tractors and the South Downs Society

Buttercups, tractor painting and the South Downs

It's been a busy but rather wonderful week. Summer is here and I've been out and about on several walks enjoying the sunshine and scenery.
In between I have also been  working on a commission painting.
 Earlier in the year I was asked if I would paint a vintage Fordson tractor. Now....I'm no tractor expert and although I was given a reference photo I prefer to work from my own. Not only can I  capture the angles and details that I need but it ensures that my paintings are original .
So my quest began! As luck would have it I spotted an advert for the Cuckoo Fair at Laughton ( just out side of Lewes) a big country fair embracing rural life from times gone by.

The Cuckoo Fair, Laughton,East Sussex

 On the day of the event the weather was bright and sunny and to my delight I found just what I needed!
Now all I needed was a backdrop to create a suitable composition.
I chose a landscape view from Lewes Brooks , at this time of year bright yellow blankets of buttercups fill the fields and the South Downs are rich green ....perfect!
The view includes glimpses of the picturesque village of Rodmell , Swanborough Hill and Kingston Ridge.
I have to admit that it wasn't an easy painting , it took about 45 hours and just as many cups of coffee! Ha ha ! But I got there in the end....
                              "Fordson on the Brooks" 
                                   Acrylic on canvas 24"x 18"

Painting a vintage Fordson tractor 

   ....and the fiddly, time consuming bits! 

Close up of the Fordson engine detail

 Now as you are by now aware I am a great lover of the South Downs .
 They are of course female....voluptuous curves adorned with floral gems and scented like no other! 

View East from Telscombe

I have recently discovered the South Downs Society. 
In their own words ...

"We fight campaigns against inappropriate development and fund conservation projects
We take an active role in safeguarding and improving the rights of way network and extending areas of open access land across the National Park
We encourage the public to learn more about the National Park
As the National Park Society we watch over the activities of the National Park Authority as a challenging friend including suggesting things they might do to enhance the National Park"

 A few weeks ago I entered a competition on their Facebook page , it required recognizing a particular image from the South Downs. It was by total coincidence a place that I had passed on my walk that very morning! On Monday I was delighted to be informed that I had won !
My prize was a goody bag selection of their gifts that can also be purchased from their web site http://www.southdownssociety.org.uk/support-us/merchandise-2/

A gift selection from The South Downs Society

 Never was a prize so perfectly matched to it's recipient ! (The box of chocolates didn't last long enough to be photographed )
Well, only one thing to do now and that's to sit out in the garden and enjoy the sunshine with a good cup of coffee...... just PERFECT!

"Piddinghoe Reflections"

The river Ouse at Piddinghoe, Sussex

The Spring sunshine took me to Piddinghoe. A picturesque village on the banks of the river Ouse just south of Lewes.
 The church here is has an unusual round tower and surrounded by a mass of snowdrops in early Spring.

  The village also has the only remaining bottle shaped brick kiln in the country ,which you can just see behind the house...

Brick kiln at Piddinghoe

  My path took me along the river bank and past the farm where I lived for a while back in the mid 1960's. It seemed strange to think I was walking in the footsteps of my past !

It all looked so very colourful (unlike my black and white photo ) and the reflections upon the river as it headed out to sea made the view just perfect to paint! 
                                     "Piddinghoe Reflections"

"Piddinghoe Reflections" Acrylic on canvas

 
Prints, cards, bags ....

  available at Here

Finally, an extract from Rudyard Kipling's Poem "Sussex"
"And the deep ghylls that breed
Huge oaks and old, the which we hold
No more than Sussex weed;
Or south where windy Piddinghoe’s
Begilded dolphin veers
And red beside wide-bankèd Ouse
Lie down our Sussex steers. "

Painting the seaside...bit by bit....

Painting the seaside in acrylics

I have had several people asking me questions about my painting methods lately.
 Now, I'm not very good at explaining things and this is NOT a "How to do it" but rather a "How I do it" .
I thought that as I paint I could post odd bits and pieces along the way that may inspire/help someone and I'm happy to answer any questions.
Alternatively I could just waffle on...and on...and on........ 
Starting with the sea....
undiluted, System 3 acrylics. Small splodgy strokes ( no confusing art jargon here ! ) Wet on wet.
Needs to dry at least overnight before highlights can be added.

Painting in the sea...

 Pebbles...
hundreds of blobs of paint gradually increasing in size towards the foreground. When completely dry very watery washes of white highlight the sunniest areas and very watery washes of burnt sienna give depth to to the uneven surface of the beach. These are also the colours used for the deckchair frames.

Painting in the pebbles on the beach

Blanket,( and most fabrics). Lightly pencil in where the creases and folds go. Paint in the pattern. Highlight with white and add shade with a watery mix of Prussian blue + Paynes grey
 I've now completed 11 hours of painting (excluding sketching out the composition) Whilst waiting for paint to dry I have started work on other areas. The deckchair frames take the longest. They are a variety of shades/tones and need about 4-5 layers of paint...and a steady hand. I shall work on these a bit at a time.

Painting the fabrics 

 Deckchairs ....
This time just 2 coats of paint were adequate to give an even opaque base of blue (often 4-5 are required). When dry I covered the area with an extremely thin wash of white..then dabbed it off with a clean cloth . This barely shows but it helps to give a bit of texture to the fabric.

Painting the deckchair seats

 Storing surplus paint in small airtight pots will keep it usable for 2-3 weeks .

Prussian blue is used to start adding the shade on the blue areas and the fabric seam lines

Adding the fabric detail

  Most of the painting is created with very small brushes . 
Yep....takes a while with these!

Painting in progress

Starting to add some shadows and highlights whilst building up a few more layers on the deckchair frames. Work has also begun on the smaller objects. 

Adding the shadows and shading




Finally, after a long painting session and lots of cups of coffee, the composition is complete ...

"Gone Swimming"
Acrylic on canvas 24"x 18"

"Gone Swimming" Acrylic seaside painting

I hope you have  enjoyed the step by step trip to the seaside and found out something useful along the way 
The sun is now shining so I'm off for an ice cream

 
 

Art online

Today I enjoyed a wonderful walk in the sunshine along the promenade of Brighton and Hove.
 A colourful walk surrounded by smiling faces, crashing waves, ice cream and seagulls.
Another day could find me climbing the South Downs and delighting in the views ,
 that moment when you climb a hill, look around and just go "WOW !"
It's all about views that inspire, stories to create and moments to capture.
I love painting these scenes and I am always delighted when a buyer gets as much pleasure and enjoyment from them too. So often a recipient tells me that it looks "so much better in real life"  and they return for another and so their collection begins.
Now as many of you know I don't exhibit, the very thought sends me into a panic attack and to be honest in this day and age I just cannot see the benefit.
All my sales are made through online galleries or social media sites where my work can be seen by a much larger  audience than a high street gallery.
A potential customer can browse at leisure from the comfort of their own home and view far more artworks than they would see in a standard gallery or auction. 
The online galleries work well for me, they advertise well, payments are secured and there's always a returns policy if the customer is not satisfied. Many will also notify a previous buyer when a new work has been added.
My blog and social media are a great way to show works in progress, methods and techniques and answer questions along the way. I think this helps by building up a rapport with an interested client .
It's taken a while to build up an online presence but it has resulted in a good sales turnover for me. Today I sold "Bluebells and Brook "

  my 13th sale of the year and many works sell within the first week, even minutes of putting them online !
 I have found some wonderful like minded people along my way that are steadily building up a collection of my art and they eagerly keep a watch to see what's next.
Now that gets me thinking...
People buy my art because it's colourful, fun or reminds them of a specific place.
I love to paint these scenes because they're colourful, fun and reminds me of a specific place ,
I love the thought that they will brighten up someone's wall and make them smile.

 It makes me wonder how the famous artists of the past would feel to discover that a composition that they have put so much passion and emotion into is now hidden away in a dark vault somewhere  to be rarely viewed , just an investment . That to me is such a very sad thought .