New paintings and regular art updates.
The sky is gloomy, but salmon pink was seeping underneath it this evening, like a strawberry blancmange layer in a trifle. Deep green and paynes grey sandwich the pink. We avoided the rain as the wind was blowing away from us. I love walking on this side of the hill, we live on the shady side!
On our walk we saw a glorious copper beech tree. I think it’s only quite young but it is set on its own above the valley of the Trent. I’d love to live in the house on the other side of the road and have this magnificent tree to look at and must be lovely to look at as the sun rises behind it. I will have to get up early to get a shot of that.
A pleasant view
Seeing green lawns
Milky and blue
skies
An English summer.
Strong stones
Arch over the path
Steps up a curved seat.
Rest here in the shade
Sit for a while
Remember other summers
Long gone.
Stately homes visited
Capability in gardens.
Four sketches I did at the Dorothy Clive Garden. The view from the hill it’s on over to Shropshire and Cheshire. The Quarry garden with the waterfall. Sculpted woodpecker in the bark of a tree stump and my hubby sitting in the cafe garden.
We went for a walk in the evening yesterday, and instead of just taking photos I took a small sketch pad with me. I couldn’t draw all the details I could see and because its black and white it’s hard to get shade and tone, but I did my best. The two blobs in the sky were hot air balloons. Too far away to see any detail and they were travelling sideways on to us very slowly (left to right). This took about 15 minutes, just trying to get an impression of the view over the valley. I wish I didn’t shake, my lines are very wobbly!
I saw these rather splendid chimneys on my walk yesterday. They are on a building opposite Stoke Station. I’m going to make a drawing of them later today. X
Experiment with paint and ink. The first painting was from a photo, the second one was extrapolated from the first. Both college work. Its fun trying different mark making and adjusting colours and hues to create different atmospheres in a piece of art. Mow Cop is a folly (pretend castle) sitting on a hill overlooking Cheshire and Staffordshire
Photo from 1981.
View through a terraced house window with one of my husbands bike wheels hanging in the window. He used to repair bikes for a while. He was probably replacing some spokes or had the tyre and tube off to repair a puncture.
It might not be the prettiest photo but it documents a time and a place. Forty years ago! A real film camera. Photos with rounded corners. I think taken with an olympus trip, on iso 100 speed film. I have albums with real photos…
Memories.
I keep coming back to this tree as it spreads its branches over the view from Penkhull. I have watched it in leaf, with dying leaves, bare and now in bud. It makes me realise how fast a year can pass. The same with gardening, the seasons and plants come and go. And I’m a year older and no wiser….
Bright sun and deep shadow. Looking out over the south of the city of Stoke-on-Trent from Penkhull hill. The gate has a square grill? on it. I like the way the spaces are captured like a square jigsaw puzzle. While people went off to beer gardens we went for a quiet walk instead. Green and blue, white scudding clouds. A pleasant day.
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