New exhibition by Kurt Jackson in Truro called Enesow: An exploration of the islands of Cornwall. On from 5th September – 3rd October 2009. Probably my most favourite artist of all time, truly inspiring landscapes..
North Shropshire is very flat, and not so many trees as South Shropshire, apart from in the hedgerows. I like the slight curve to some of the fields around here.
A very wet walk with my dear Ellie (collie-lurcher), unfortunately she's not really my dog, but we love walking together. Walked from Church Stretton car park to Pole Bank on the Long Mynd, and back through Little Stretton. Had my paints out a couple of times but the rain soaked us both completely at least 3 times. Ah well..2 views of The Lawley, and one across the mynd plateau.
Today 'the heatwave' has started. I left work at 5 and got home at 8pm. It's only 5 miles in a straight route to cycle home, but a winding ride home via Lee Borckhurst, Hodnet, Hawkstone took me 3 hours with a few stops for sketching. I love these long evenings with a bike and my paints...
A hot hot day, I took a long cycle ride home from work, down the back lanes to 100 Steps on the Shropshire Way. The footpath of 100 stone steps leads down a hillside overgrown with hawthorn and hazel, across a meadow to the small River Roden. You could see the grass seed blowing across the meadow, and twinges of hayfever started to come over me. It's a lovely hidden hillside banked by a corridor of woodland, and the sound of water.
A hot still evening, with few clouds and the smell of the green wheat in the air. I walked through the tracks in the wheat field to cheer myself up and spotted a hot air balloon (a virgin too). The first sketch was probably overworked, I stopped looking at the scene. The second was most interesting, really bold landscape shapes were all around me, and needed drawing. Must come out here again to paint for longer.
Haze rising off the rape seed fields in the early hours of the morning. Two bird watchers walk past at 7.30, they'd been out counting the number of birds they could hear.
Evening walk up to British Camp, painting of the reservoir with the sun going down created all these great orange shades and dark shadows across the hills.
View Barnstaple Sketchbook here
A week in Barnstaple, out walking on the coast everyday proved to be very inspiring,I love the rugged beaches, jagged rocks, wind, rain, and most of all the sea.