Flower Power!

I have been going through a folder of my old artwork, all done in my teens and a lot in the 1960's that wonderful age of colour. After my foundation year at Guildford Art School I then did a design course and produced some really whacky fabric and wall paper designs. So yesterday being my day off I spent some time out in the sunshine at home photographing all of these. Here is a very large study of a single flower which makes quite a powerful image I think.

Dartmoor Granite Cross, Chagford

This huge granite cross used to be the Market Cross and stood in the market square in the centre of Chagford, it now stands below St Michael's church where it has become the war memorial. There are some magnificant views from here looking towards Castle Drogo and the Teign Gorge. As you can see from my photo all the Spring flowers are out and the weather is wonderful.

Great Crested Grebe's

We visited the Ham Wall nature reserve near Glastonbury on Sunday. It is a wonderful place to see wildfowl and it is possible to get quite close to most of it. We were so lucky to be able to watch a pair of Great Crested Grebe's displaying right in front of us. This photo shows the moment when after diving down at exactly the same time the pair emerged with a beak full of weed which they displayed to one another! All the while we could hear the amazing booming call of Bitterns amongst the reeds. Must go back!

Kingcups and Reflections

I have just been reunited with one of my old paintings Kingcups and Reflections, which is in a way a bit like seing an old friend after many years! It is a huge oil I did way back in the 1980's and has been brought back to me temporarily to be cleaned as it has been stored in a barn while its owner renovates her new home. I painted this before the age of digital cameras so I have now been able to take a new photo of it and put it onto a disk. I dont often get the chance to paint such large pictures these days!