Woodland walks and February flowers

I’ve completed two new paintings in the last two weeks of February.

I used the photos that I took in the snowy woods as a basis for Winter Walk –

Winter Walk

You may remember that I’ve paused my Abberton Reservoir project until we are allowed to travel a little more freely? While I’m waiting to resume that I am painting a little series of woodland walks. Walking Home was the first, an Autumn walk. This one obviously is a Winter walk. Today I started a Spring woodland walk painting, based on some drawings and photos I took a couple of years ago in Pit Woods at Copford which I never used at the time. And I have a Summer walk picture planned, based on Hillhouse Wood in West Bergholt, again from drawings and photos which I did in 2016 but didn’t use. So there will be four seasons of woodland walks, which, as well as being a nice group of paintings I hope, might also make a nice pack of greetings cards.

The second painting I’ve completed is the first of my Flower Still life pictures. You may remember that this was one of my painting plans for 2021 to paint a flower study at least eight times in the year. This one is of primroses and polyanthus from my garden, and is, of course, Flowers of February.

Flowers of February

There have been some beautiful Spring like days here recently.  I’ve been spending a lot of time in the garden re-organising the area that was wrecked by the excavation of the soak away when my extension was built last year. The big bare area of earth is actually a lovely opportunity to buy some new plants! Yesterday I ordered two new rose bushes. I’ve already planted one new one, a David Austen rose called Angel of Lichfield. The new ones are both old varieties – Cardinal de Richelieu and Louise Odier. I expect they will be appearing in some of the summer flower paintings!

Hope you are able to enjoy some spring sunshine! 🙂