Cheddar Gorge with the UK Plein Air Society.

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.

Market Lavington, evening skies, with jet trails

Some recent evening skies from White Street Hill, at the edge of Salisbury Plain Escarpment - there's a great view North towards Devizes Bath and Chippenham. These paintings  have to be done at speed, the sky changing in minutes, in seconds even, and in five minutes can look totally different. So one arrives at an approximation of what one has seen over the brief time but really it is an attempt to try to catch the sensations of light.  It's interesting now these are laid out together, I can see certain effects working or not working so I might make minor changes to improve them.

No5.  This time used prussian blue in the lower landscape which  packs  a punch when it comes to rendering the  dark shadows.

No4 (below) One distant jet trail to the right of the sun.

 

No3 (below) 

No2 below) 

No1

 

STEEPLE ASHTON CHURCH, WILTSHIRE

All Saints Church, Steeple Ashton, over a new wheat field. (telephone lines now been added!). An impressive and ornate building for such a rural setting. I was aiming to catch something of the weather and light  this April 2011. We have had amazing weather, warmer and drier than any recorded previously since records began. "This good  weather  has lasted longer than any summer I can remember!" says my son. He can't be far wrong as far as UK sunshine goes.
You can see the unisual geological folds in the hills to the right above Westbury, and to the left these are the heights above Edington where King Alfred fought and beat the danes in 878 AD, in a final battle before making  peace.

View towards London, over Sandown Park RaceTrack

View over Sandown Park RaceTrack from Sandown View Hall. I was exhibiting my stained glass wares/portfiolio at the Christan Resources Exhibition (a sort of church trade show). The view was  a source of facination, as the light was constantly changing with bright sunlight and dark shadow on the landscape and planes flying in and out of Heathow Arport (on the left horizon), landing  approximately every 1min 15sec.  so I decided to try to paint it   - it was done in fits and starts, when visitor footfall was quiet, with the ebb and flow of people.

Roundway Hill, from Pear Tree Hill

Roundway Hill seen  from Cheveral Magna, or Pear Tree Hill, as locally called.  Oil on panel. 19" x 12"

 

SOLD

VIEW OVER THE LAVINGTONS, WILTSHIRE

View over the Lavingtons from Strawberry Hill. Capturing something of the unprescedented warm weather this April. A three week gap between starting and finishing this one. In the meantime all the foliage and rape seed had grown so had to update with a lot of colour. You  can see the two church towers of both villages

 Painting in progress. It was completed in two sessions.
Below the start of the painting two weeks earlier

ST SWITHUNS from HEDGEMEAD PARK -BATH

Painted this in two sessions, just as leafy buds were opening in April. I wanted to try catching something of the freshness of the Spring light. Painted over a couple of hours to start, from 2.00 till 4.00;  it is extraordinary how swiftly and radically the scene changes with  almost opposite light and shade effects on the buildings. The  final result indicates the day at about 3.30/4.0pm

My painting of Sherbourne Street, Bourton -on-the-water (Looking south towards the centre). Oil on Panel 10" x 14". 

Members of  the British Pochade Society, congregating on street corner of Rectory Lane, deciding where to set up for painting the town.  It was Easter Sunday so not many of us turned up but the sun shone and we set to work. Unfortunately I didn't  get any more suitable photos of people in action.

GARDEN WALL

Capturing  the splendour of sun in the garden. A riot of  blossoms,  new leaves, branches throwing shadows on the old garden wall. in April. 18.5" x 10" oil on panel

View down John St From Trim St., about 4.00pm. Someone parked a car on the RH  half way though, it's rear end  blocking part of the view which made life awkward! I decided not to to paint it in. (Oil on Panel 10" x 12")