Lockdown walks

We are still blessed with glorious weather and have been out on daily walks. Close to the river, we are now meeting the same animals almost daily. One of them is a female muntjac, who seems to stay in the same area and lets us get quite close before walking away through the undergrowth. Another is a cormorant who has made a tree in the lake its home to perch on and dry its feathers. Until about five years ago, I had never seen any cormorants in our area but now there are at least two.

Close to the edge of the lake, there are nests where coots are busy raising their redheaded chicks. Further out, more coots seem to spend all their time bickering with each other. And amongst them, a swan glides by, using its wings to catch the wind.

I loved how the sun lit up its feathers, which I tried to capture in my painting.

Spring blossom

The Lea Valley Art Society helps to keep us going by giving us weekly challenges to do during this period of social distancing. This week's theme is spring, for which I have used a photo I took last summer in Sheringham Park.

I had wanted to paint these cows for some time, as I like the strong sunlight on them. To show this, I went for maximum contrast, leaving the sunlit part of the cow's bodies as white paper. 

To fit the spring theme, I turned the tree pink to show blossom instead of foliage.

Trafalgar Square in happier times

Every so often, I scroll through my photos to see what inspires to paint. In this time of being almost cut off from the outside world, it's wonderful to remember visits to crowded places such as this one.

I expect we are still weeks away from being released from our isolation and I am thankful that we are still allowed out for daily exercise, which gives us the opportunity to connect with our surroundings.

Early spring walks

We have now had almost a week of lockdown in the most beautiful weather. This is a view of one of our local reservoir lakes where I have been walking every day, while we are still allowed outside. Almost all the bays are occupied by fishermen who make the most of their enforced leisure time.

It seems to me that the air smells fresher now than before the lockdown. It calls to mind holidays in the mountains. As there are hardly any planes going overhead, the air quality must be better now than in normal times.

The three birds in the sky are a late addition to the painting: I noticed a splash of paint there and turned it into a bird and then gave it two more companions.

Making art in the time of Corona

This is my second week at home because of the Corona virus  lockdown. I am lucky that painting is a hobby that is still possible to do in isolation, and with access to photos of past holidays, I am finding plenty of inspiration and they remind me of happier times.

I hope you all find something to keep you busy and free from worrying if you are in a similar situation. The introverts amongst us are probably finding this enforced isolation easier to cope with.

I am glad that I have open spaces near me that I can reach on foot while we are still allowed outside for physical exercise. Walks in nature are calming and keep me in touch with the seasonal changes around me.

Horse statue

This is based on the stables courtyard of Waddesdon Manor, a National Trust property in England. I just loved the horse statue (by Edgar Boehm), which looks so full of vitality and energy.

Some of the proportions and architectural details are not accurate but I think it works as a painting nonetheless. I also changed the white of the sun umbrella to blue, as I thought it suited the overall colour scheme better.

Waddesdon Manor is a very elegant property, which emulates the architecture of a French chateau, and is well worth a visit.

North Yorkshire Moor

I was walking the moors in August on a day that started clear but with the mist rolling in fast, which made the landscape look quite autumnal. 

At first, we spotted just the occasional grouse, but the further we walked, the more birds scuttled out of bushes and ran away from us. They are quite well camouflaged. I wonder if you can spot the one in this painting?