Summer in England

Some images from an English summer. I have been trying to capture the heady mix of colours of the fresh new growth, dry straw, wild flowers and butterflies using my 'sketch, photograph and run (or cycle) away' technique. These are two more successful efforts.

Of course an English summer is not complete without cricket. Yesterday was a big day...we beat the Aussies at Lords (the 'home of cricket') for the first time since 1934. This was 5 days of elation, hope, dread, fear and then finally.... a fantastic feeling of well-being for us die-hard England supporters. I couldn't resist putting a page in my journal. Our hero, Fantastic Freddie (named after the Flintstone) and his nemesis, Ricky 'squishy-green-cap-head' Ponting (yes, I know...)

It always surprises me that from the Surrey Hills you can look North towards London and it appears as though the towers of central rise out of an uninterrupted forest - like a vision of the future where nature has taken over again.

Effingham Common/ In defence

Two new pictures from the weekend, both of them experimenting with photoshop collages. I think the Effingham Common scene with a blend of foreground and distance sektching works best on the blog. The other one is more powerful in my journal. In cae you are wondering it combines some chalk graffit on a WWII pillbox with nearby twisting tree roots. I finished it with my own chalk graffiti in my logbook, using Surrey Hills chalk 'borrowed' from the site.

Sun Light Shade & Counterfeit Polesden

Two pictures from the weekend. Polesden as it is nor nromally seen - hosting the Counterfeit Stones for a group of Bookham Oldies. Inks from a mbile phone photo. Then Sun Light Shade - a semi-abstract trying to capture the woods in the summer - intense patches of light and deep, green shade under a wide blue sky.

The stile

This is a line and watercolour sketch done from a photograph. At the bottom is a list of things that my daughter asked me to pack in a bag for a trip to the beach with her friend. She happened to call while I was making the picture! It is very warm and muggy right now. A trip to the beack would be nice but I couldn't bear sitting in the car in a taffic jam for half the day! I'll say in my Surrey Hills but I won't be going far as I have sprained my ankle rather badly playing football.

Tracks on the Ponds

This is the picture I made in my jounal from the photos and sketch I posted yesterday. I was trying to capture the slightly abstract pattern-like quality to the tracks through the duckweed. It is successful to some extent but not my most interesting picture either to make or look at!

Tracks on the pond

Here is something I'm working on. I was running across Bookham Commons and I saw that the pond has become a srew of pondweed in the summer sun. Moorhens and ducks have crossed this and left striking paths. I sketched this and took pictures, which I have now lashed together in photoshop. Next I will print this, and put a composition in my journal. Watch this space.