Spring Garden

#15 'Spring Garden' oil on canvas 8 x 8"

I had a spare hour but couldn't leave the house so I dashed outside and painted this corner of the garden, an area I'd been wanting to capture for a while.  I'd prepared this canvas with a deep pinky purply ground some time before so used that which gave a nice contrast to the light areas of leaves and foliage.  My favourite area is the herb garden with the orange bricks so I might revisit this again later in the summer.

A Mothers Day View

#8 Mothers Day Morning Oil on Canvas 5"x5"

It was a real Mothers Day treat a few weeks ago to get out in the fresh air and do this little plein air sketch.  I walked up a hill in my village where the week before we'd been sledging. Although the sun wasn't out the snow had melted and I painted the view looking over the fields towards the neighbouring village of Seaton in Rutland.

It was also the first outing for my new Open Box M plein air easel.  It was as good as I'd hoped it would be! Lightweight, versatile, a large mixing area and the smell of the newly oiled wood is beautiful.

My new Open Box M easel on top of the hill