A day out painting at the Cheddar Gorge was scheduled for the UK Plein Air Society - we arrange to meet on the last Sunday of the Month, all plein air painters are welcome. Fellow painter Valerie Pirlot and I travelled there together and if you read her blog too you’ll hear more of the story of how we determinedly encouraged and cajoled each other up the heights of the gorge - it was very steep with heavy equipment, and the hottest day of the year. After much climbing and meeting decending walkers and being told it was another 15 mins to the very top, at 450ft above sea level, we went on ..... but suddenly got to a point (I guess about 350ft)where we sensibly realised any more walking in that heat and there’d be no energy to paint, so we set up easels and got painting.
Above is my rendering of the view, over the town with the river Severn in the distance, and a round reservoir spotted with tiny sails of people boating (they miraculously all disappeared at lunchtime - home for roast dinner - or BBQ - then were suddenly back again in the afternoon). To our left we could see Glastonbury Tor about 9 miles away, no sound from the Festival though we listened out for it.
Below, a photo of Valerie enjoying a well earned rest after her first painting, showing the effect of the climb too ....
and one of me, still hard at work, wishing I had a sun-umbrella too.
On the way back down, with gravity on our side, we stopped for a shorter time to do another smaller painting. I settled to do an old dry stone wall falling down under a background of trees. it looked very 'Pyranese' and felt it in the heat.
We didn't manage to meet any of the other painters who may have turned up (Glynis Dray was one), so perhaps should be more proactive and exchange mobile numbers with those intending to come in the future.
