Tuesday 9 October 2012

Sunny October Days

 It was love at first sight with this wonderfully coloured Gourd.  I saw it outside a shop and immediately  went inside and bought it.  Sadly it has taken me a while to find the time to draw it but I think I have given it the respect it deserves.  My Dad used to grow these for me, all kinds of fascinating shaped specimens which I could then choose from to draw.

 I sketched it in pencil and then painted it with three colours of my acrylic ink.....Flame red, Yellow ochre and Sap Green.   The red and yellow created all the orange tones.  I used the red to darken the green.   Look at all the different shades on the plate, created by mixing the three colours.
 I used a new brush, Aquafine by Daler Rowney, it was a script liner number 3, it was very nice to use , if not a little hard on my eyes but made lovely fine lines. I also used a sable 3. It was painted in little pockets of time over four days, about twelve hours work. I really enjoyed  drawing this gourd with all the lumps  and bumps, and I loved recording all the detail and texture.
We have been enjoying some beautiful sunny days and each day I have managed to get out and take a walk. For a change we headed up hill and around the lanes in our village. The view above shows our estuary and the railway line which loops right around the shore in a horse shoe shape and then travels up the west coast.
 I like this gate,  it is the entrance to a very steep field.  When we were children we would run down it and it was so steep we could not stop until we reached the bottom.  We used to scream as we ran down, then laugh when we safely reached the bottom.  Sometimes there was a herd of cows and their young calves which chased us! The frisky young calves would  join in  and run after us, we ran even faster, our hearts beating so fast and we screamed louder with fear. So very relieved to climb the next gate and into another safer field where we then laughed louder.  We were great at running on sports day!
 The views to the North of the Lake land hills.
 There were lots of seed heads standing so tall above the stone walls.
 The red berries on the hawthorn trees, once a thick hedgerow now twisted and bent with the elements.
 All the walls are getting old and wobbly,  ferns growing on the top.  All hand built from the local stone which is still quarried in the village.
 The view to the west, showing the opening to the estuary and the open sea where the hundreds of windmills are being erected. The tide is just coming in and will cover all the sand with sea water.  This is where I was last week, see my last post.
Every where looked so fresh and green after lots of rainfall. The rain water drains off the higher ground and the moors, last week this road had water running down each side and it caused some flooding in the village.  Many homes were sand bagged to protect the water from getting into their houses,  lots of stones and debris was carried downhill as the water gathered speed and scattered it along the roads.  The drains struggled to take the volume of water as many rivers swelled and burst their banks and many local roads were flooded.
It has been lovely having the blue sky and sunshine, fine days with  crisp views and now the frosty mornings.  The shore was covered in a blanket of white frost and  looked so pretty.  Hope you are having some nice days. Glad  you visited and  enjoyed the walk with me.  Thank you for the lovely comments which I really appreciate. Photographs of the village by my husband.
See you soon.                                                            Millyx



14 comments:

Carol Creech said...

Hi Milly,

This is wonderful! The gourd and all of its bumpiness so suit your style. I love the finished painting! The colors are so vibrant and I really enjoy seeing how you interpret and render the bumps, etc. I'm going to study it more and learn! I always love these gourds and find them too complicated to even attempt. Fantastic job.
Carol

martinealison said...

Bonjour,
Je suis heureuse de vous retrouver... J'étais restée absente cet été des blogs...
Je suis captivée par cette merveilleuse coloquinte que vous venez de peindre. Bravo! Un très joli souci du détail et de merveilleuses couleurs.
merci de nous faire partager votre promenade... J'imagine les cris d'enfants qui résonnent dans la vallée!... Des photos fascinantes.
Gros bisous

Amanda said...

Oh gosh I used to grow those gourds by the dozen too! The kids used to choose several and see whose grew into the wartiest!

Thank you for the walk too. After this past week, I needed that. :-)

Mary said...

Dear, I'm catching up with all your delightful posts I've missed whilst away again! I'm saddened hearing about people stealing your work from the Internet......this is a serious problem for many artists and I don't know what the answer is.

Love the gourd painting - they are prevalent here now Autumn has arrived.

The news from Delila is so joyous....we are thrilled that her dream is coming true and hope she loves being in Surrey. Later today I will put up a post about her, mainly in hopes it will help her sell her jewelry. I'm having a problem linking to your blog in the post I'm writing today - apologies if it doesn't work. Will keep trying.

I'm starting to feel somewhat better and now looking forward to heading for Venice soon....thankful Bob is going along because I don't think I could manage the luggage alone! Loved your pix from that beautiful city - hope the weather will cooperate and I can get some good shots whilst there.

Love from Bob and I - we think of you often.

Frances said...

Good morning from a grey and rainy New York. Perhaps the afternoon will bring blue sky and sun and a bit more warmth, encouraging my own long outdoor walk!

Milly, I like your painting of that little textured gourd very much. What a perfect subject for the acrylic inks. The new new fine line brush seems to have been an excellent acquisition, giving you yet another way to capture many details without using a pen.

You are kind to also let us know which colors you've used, and how many shades can arise from three ink bottles.

What a fine artist you are!

It was also fun to hear the story of the downhill speed of young children and calves.

xo

Debbie Nolan said...

Dear Milly, your gourd is exquisite. You caught the texture as well as the lovely colors. As always you inspire me. Thanks also to your hubby for the lovely pictures of your walk. I especially loved the rocks with the fern growing out of them. I am sure seeing such beautiful places keeps you inspired. Thanks for sharing.

Teresa said...

Hi Milly,

Just getting back into blog reading. It's always such a pleasure to visit your blog. Your art is exquisite and I love seeing the beautiful scenery. It's a refreshing break in my day!

Anonymous said...

I don't recall seeing a drawing of a gourd by you before. It's quite spectacular. The care you take, the close observation and sure hand, I always find quite remarkable.

Jill said...

A beautiful gourd Milly, and wonderful views.

Anonymous said...

I almost bought one at Whole Foods! Now I wish I had. Your painting inspires. You've done an amazing job.

Cindy Lane said...

I'm so glad I found your blog again Milly! I despaired of finding it again after a year or so.

Exquisite gourd - lumpy bumpy skin so wonderfully detailed. And your countryside is just lovely!

Looking forward to catching up on what you've been up to,

Warmest regards from the Antipodes,

Cindy

suz said...

Love your painting of the gourd! Fall is one of my favorite times of the year - I love the colors. Thanks also to your husband for sharing the wonderful photos of your area of the world.

Lucille said...

I loved your description of you screaming down the field with your children and the calves almost as much as I loved your gourd.

Gwen Buchanan said...

yours is much more exciting!