Kingley Vale, a National Nature Reserve near Chichester in Sussex, is known for its yew forest, reputed to be one of the finest in Europe. The oldest yews are all on the valley floor, with younger trees on the slopes. The yews have, in most…
Continue reading The Guardians
The River Test has its notional source in the downs a mile from the village of Overton in north Hampshire. Last September, I used public footpaths to follow the river between its source and Overton, where it once powered several mills. The source itself was…
Continue reading Idyll (with tyre swing) -SOLD
See also Kaolin-coated boards (1: small work) and Hampshire Open Studios. Three larger works made on Claybord, in both monochrome (black Indian Ink): … and in colour (Indian style pigment inks):
This yew tree grows on the bank of a small local stream. It’s no ancient giant, but it is a lovely tree nonetheless. Skew indian ink on paper, unmounted (paper 61 x 43 cm) £210
The yew tree portrayed here is on Merrow Down near Guildford, Surrey. It is probably not the largest or the oldest tree at that site (its regularity and lack of visible hollowing suggests a relative youthfulness), but it is, nonetheless, massive. “Behemoth” is a biblical…
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The lofty beech is a common site on the chalk downs of southern England. Its shallow root system clings to the slopes and is often eroded by the elements, revealing a complex lattice. This drawing is a distillation of the many companionable beeches that I…
Continue reading Three Beeches on a Hill
An ancient oak tree, over 400 years old, still marks part of the boundary of Sydmonton Common in north Hampshire. It is an intriguing entity – partially decayed and yet still living (its upper limbs sported green leaves when I first visited the tree in…
Continue reading Sydmonton Common Oak
This drawing takes the same viewpoint that I used for the oil painting Embankment. Both pieces are 40 x 50 cm. The painting was done with a knife, and focuses on the colour; the drawing, done with a fountain pen, focuses on tone and detail.…
Continue reading Embankment (ink)
This is a hollow oak tree in Savernake Forest, Wiltshire. While it isn’t one of the very special trees there that has been given a name and a sign bearing that name, it is very easy to spot from the path and it is, I…
Continue reading Golden Hollow – SOLD
This third beech tree in Selborne Hanger has a remarkable little cavern beneath its exposed roots, probably due to erosion. The roots form an open lattice – a “filigree” – over the space on the uphill side. The tree is at the foot of the hanger,…
Continue reading Filigree – SOLD