Late summer reeds

The late summer sun coming through these reeds on Bookham Commons caught the patches of senescent leaf and made them glow.

View from Gomershall

I sketched the hills where I normally cycle from below. A lovely view but hard work getting home again! Back home, I made an version for my journal using acyrilic over a photograph.

A gloomy turning

I have been thinking about painting this lane for ages. Even on a bright sunny day the trees form a dark tunnel, and then the sun on the meadow is framed dramatically by the trees and fence. I'm disappointed by the painting though...one of those days when nothing goes right and I feel like I have taken a wrong turn somewhere.

Futurism

I painted a rather dull scene - a new culvert by a ploughed field, where the soil have been scraped clean. My plan is to paint the same scene 4 times over the year and see how it changes, and whether the changes are as I predict them to be.

Leith Hill Heather

I went to the London Graphic Centre and picked up some new materials. I'm very excited about this water-based acrylic and I'm pleased with this as a first attempt. It was certainly fun making it. I sketched ideas and elements for the picture in the middle of a marathon run through the woods around Leith Hill.

Surrey Hills chalk

I have tried to move away from my Harold Hitchcock tendencies on this one - I don't do delicate but this is as close as I can get. These are some lumps of chalk and flint I picked up on a recent run. I thought they were white but when you realy look at them most of the surfaces aren't white at all.

I should point out that the painting in my previous blog is Harold's work, not mine!

Harold Hitchcock

Phyllis pointed out similarities between the colouring in Bridge 1 and the work of the British artist Harold Hitchcock. I Googled him and its true - very astute, Phyllis, and thanks for sharing that. He also uses a layering tecnique that I like (of course I cheat!!)