I'm back again - well, have been for a week but was slain by a cold and also have been sluggish about getting back to normal life after all the excitement and highs of a wonderful wedding trip.
I did little sketching and hardly got my paints out - it was primarily a lovely time spent with family and friends, reunions, celebrations, and sightseeing of the first bit of England outside of London that I've been to. Windsor, Oxford, little Pangbourne, Stonehenge!... I wondered if I'd ever get there and now I have... the wedding itself was held in the idyllic settings of bluebell woods and the tulip bedecked garden of this old Priory home, which I sketched very badly on the spot and have not done any justice at all. The top sketch is from the lower double window in the middle one...
...and this a 'pleached' apple tree, carefully trained and pruned into a long flattened shape over many years, leaning over 'black' and pink tulips that echoed the colours of the old tree. I could've spent months or more just moving a few metres at a time to the next perfect picture-painting spot, it's all so beautiful, but this time was much more sociable than that - I did a few sketches pre and during the wedding... quickly and inadequately, leaving my carefully chosen watercolour palette undisturbed as I grabbed at fleeting images in fine pen lines. I'm now adding colour and a couple more scenes to flesh out the album, from photographs as a gift to the newlyweds. Once they've seen them, I'll show them to you - my intentions to present it to them as they left on honeymoon were completely unrealistic, but I hope it won't be too long a-coming!
I'm back again - well, have been for a week but was slain by a cold and also have been sluggish about getting back to normal life after all the excitement and highs of a wonderful wedding trip.
I did little sketching and hardly got my paints out - it was primarily a lovely time spent with family and friends, reunions, celebrations, and sightseeing of the first bit of England outside of London that I've been to. Windsor, Oxford, little Pangbourne, Stonehenge!... I wondered if I'd ever get there and now I have... the wedding itself was held in the idyllic settings of bluebell woods and the tulip bedecked garden of this old Priory home, which I sketched very badly on the spot and have not done any justice at all. The top sketch is from the lower double window in the middle one...
...and this a 'pleached' apple tree, carefully trained and pruned into a long flattened shape over many years, leaning over 'black' and pink tulips that echoed the colours of the old tree. I could've spent months or more just moving a few metres at a time to the next perfect picture-painting spot, it's all so beautiful, but this time was much more sociable than that - I did a few sketches pre and during the wedding... quickly and inadequately, leaving my carefully chosen watercolour palette undisturbed as I grabbed at fleeting images in fine pen lines. I'm now adding colour and a couple more scenes to flesh out the album, from photographs as a gift to the newlyweds. Once they've seen them, I'll show them to you - my intentions to present it to them as they left on honeymoon were completely unrealistic, but I hope it won't be too long a-coming!
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11 comments:
Pretty, pretty, pretty! I love the gentleness of these pieces! I want them on my walls!
Glad you had a good time and returned safely. Hope the cold is gone now and you can get back to your usual lovely posts - like this one :) I find the idea of the tree with the flowers echoing the colors underneath very interesting and artistic :)
I like all of these sketches - particularly the view from the window. I don't know why you don't like the second one - it is after all meant to be a sketch and not a finished painting and for a sketch I think it is just lovely - is is the tree! I really like the fact that you use lots of colour :o)
Welcome back Cathy! Nice to see your sketches again! Love the window scene, and the house and the tree - they're all lovely! Regards
It is hard to get back in the swing, especially if you're unwell! Glad you're feeling better, and that your trip was fun.
The window view is classic--charming and intimate!
(My word verification is "poofs"--shades of Monty Python: how very British!)
Welcome back, sorry to hear about your cold.
Love seeing your beautiful, soft sketches and look forward to more from your trip.
What a lucky bride and groom to be able to get some artwork from you.
Welcome home--glad your cold is over--love your travel images--the view through the window is great!
Ooh loverly to see your posts. Beautiful sketches that capture the essence, perfectly as always!
My verification word is 'fibem' ... what rot; I mean every word!!!!
Lovely to see your sketches on your blog AND to have been there while you were working on them!
Glad you enjoyed your trip to my homeland! Your watercolors are lovely, and your idea of presenting a watercolor album to the newlyweds is such a thoughtful, meaningful gift. I'm sure they'll always treasure it... I would!
Glad you had a chance to get out to Oxford (all those spires!) and Windsor area when in England. Quite a trip down to Stonehenge - such a pity now it is all fenced off from the public. When we lived in Dorset/Wiltshire borders you could get right up and hug each stone. Magic. Thanks for the very English scenes in your inimitable style - as ever brilliant.
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