One mile from home

Over a year later – the exhibition

2008-08-18T23:03:00.001+01:00

My two eldest, Flo and Tom have set up the Oakley Gallery and their first big project is an exhibition of the One Mile from Home sketches and paintings. This is the poster/flyer that they got me to do for the forthcoming exhibition. I can’t quite believe the madness of having an exhibition put on in my house! If you want to download a nice higher resolution pdf version of this which has a detailed description of the project on the reverse you can download it here. And of course you are all welcome.

And finally…

2007-05-01T00:09:00.000+01:00

If this is your first visit to this blog, you’ve arrived at the end of a year long project. In April 2006 I set the challenge ‘Walk a minimum of one mile from home. Record where you’ve been with a drawing, sculpture, photo or painting and then walk back. Every day for a year.’ To my great delight Alison and Penny in Australia (amongst others who eventually dropped by the wayside) joined me. Each day our lives touched at our daily posts, sometimes observing the same things and sometimes showing each other the uniqueness of our own environments. So now, for me , the challenge is over, and the drawing of where I started most of my walks is on the last post below. However if you’d like to experience our year in the order in which it happened, do click on the archives in the side bar, starting with April 2006. If you’d like to see regularly updated work, please visit my other blog, Julie’s Pictures.

Walk Three Hundred and Sixty-Five – Home

2007-04-27T23:11:00.000+01:00

Click to see bigger

That’s it, the house in the middle is the starting point for nearly all of the walks. We moved the car (which is normally parked in front) down the road so that I could see the house properly. Robin asked if I wanted the tandem and trailer (just behind the wall) moved, but I liked the reminder of the cycle trips this morning and at lunch, taking Xavier to and from nursery. In the winter there’s usually a pile of boots either side of the door behind the brick arch.
At this moment I am at the downstairs window facing the birdtable, typing at my computer. After painting this I went for my walk round the bluebell wood. A funny sad, wistful walk. The adventure is over, thank you one and all, especially Alison and Penny for joining me, Robin for putting up with our lives having to revolve around me fitting in my walk and sketch, Katherine for being so supportive, Hashi for taking the baton from me and all of you – you know who you all are – who visited regularly and added your thoughts and support.

380mm x 225mm pen and watercolour on W&N watercolour paper

Walk Three Hundred and Sixty-Four – Rainy High Street

2007-04-26T20:21:00.000+01:00

I couldn’t have finished this challenge without at least one more attempt at art in the rain. Fortunately I had a plan – shelter in the doorway of the building that houses the wedding plan business, the scrap-booking business and Garry the osteopath (who should be on a retainer for the Oakley family), so only a couple of drips of rain on the page. I then walked round the bluebell wood, with the slowly fading flowers.

Alison and Penny in Australia have been wonderful one mile companions. Last night as I was blogging late into the night and visiting my blog friends, I was delighted to find this post. Hashi, although dropping out early on last year, has been part of this journey and I am so thrilled that she is going to take up the baton and ‘sketchercise’ daily for a year. I’m sure that Penny, who has another couple of months to go, will be just as pleased to hear about her new walking companion. So I hope that those of you that have been following my journey will add Hashi’s blog to those that you visit.

So for Hashi and anyone else who is thinking of embarking on this journey here are a few of the practical art-making things I have learned along the way. Before this year, I used to feel quite daunted at the prospect of attempting sketching outside, all those decisions to make about equipment, finding the right spot, knowing where on earth to start when confronted by a huge beautiful detailed landscape. But now I feel so much more assured. I think the main thing is to recognise that it isn’t a comfortable studio. You just need to go with the flow and accept that you can’t control the light, the weather or the conditions. If you’re trying to draw or paint while standing up (which is something you should be prepared to do on a regular basis) you just have to learn to love those wobbly lines. The smaller and simpler your kit, the easier it is to get out and just do it. As you know I love trying different materials, so frequently it took me several minutes to get myself out of the house while I dithered over what to take with me, so if you like using the same type of media and paper over and over it will be a lot easier. Watercolour painting (particularly if you have a small watercolour sketchbook) is surprisingly portable if you use water brushes and are prepared to be a lot less ambitious than you would be in the studio. Pencil or pen are even better. A big array of coloured pencils or pastels are pretty damn difficult to manage without sitting down, so probably only for those days when you want to devote more time to sketching and are prepared to carry a stool with you. I did buy a stool in the end but I probably only took it with me two or three times a month – when I had more time to sketch and was taking a larger sketchbook or paper block with me. My recent very useful acquisition is a fishing vest (a birthday present from Robin). It’s not exactly a great fashion statement, but all those pockets are great for pens, pencils, paints, sketchbooks.

Now the question that some of you are still itching to know the answer to – did she lose any weight? Well at the beginning I knew nothing much would happen as I wasn’t walking all that far, so after my first weigh-in I thought I’d leave it for some time before I weighed myself again. Then when I was going through my long period of feeling low, I really didn’t want to weigh myself and feel even more depressed about not losing any weight or, even worse, find I’d gained weight. And then, after the excesses of the Christmas period, I didn’t want to weigh myself. And then when I realised that my depression had lifted I really wasn’t interested in finding out what I weighed because I was so grateful to have my normal cheerfulness restored to me. And finally, yesterday, a year after the first weigh-in, I thought, ‘Hell, I might as well find out if there have been any other benefits from this one mile lark’. So I got on the scales … and … not bad … I still have a long way to go, but in the last year a stone and a half of excess weight have gone, which is great because it’s happened by stealth, and rather than having my mind filled with calories and clothes sizes, I’ve been thinking about far more interesting things. And quite honestly I am far happier about a year of getting in touch with nature, a year of learning that it’s possible to draw or paint anywhere under almost any conditions and a year of enjoying doing the kind of exercise that suits me.
290mm x 21omm pen in cartridge sketchbook

Walk Three Hundred and Sixty-Three – Fairshot Court garden

2007-04-25T23:26:00.000+01:00

Today, Robin hooked up the child trailer to the tandem and we cycled Xavier to morning nursery and picked him up at lunchtime to take him to afternoon nursery. We haven’t done much tandem cycling for a couple of years, so I’m hoping that we’ll do quite a bit more, now that I won’t have to try Robin’s patience by stopping and sketching. We’re also planning to do the St Albans 40 mile charity ride on May 13th so I’ll need to get in a bit of practice in for that. I also walked in the evening and sketched this lovely garden. For those of you that have asked, I will definitely leave this blog up for as long as Blogger will let me. I’ll also keep up almost daily drawing and will post those pictures on my other blog.

I do have an idea for another year-long challenge, but I’m in the throes of finding out all about publishing, ISBN numbers, cost-effective print-on-demand, distribution etc, so that I can put together a book for anyone who is interested in having a momento of this year, so that will keep me busy for a little while. However I don’t want to lose you all (I know we’re all so fickle when a blogger doesn’t give us a reason to keep coming back) so I’ll probably have to reveal and start the next challenge fairly pronto.

You have all been so wonderful and so supportive during this year. I’m sure that many of you have been dying to ask but were too polite to – but have you lost any weight? Well as Alison has pointed out a mile walking and then stopping to sketch and then a mile back is not a really hard workout. So when I started the challenge, in my mind, I fully intended to walk faster and further distances as the year progressed. However this plan didn’t allow for six months of deep depression following the death of my mother a few months into the challenge. Many days it was difficult to get out of bed, but I had to for the children, and many days it was difficult to force myself out of the house when quite honestly I would have rather sat down, eaten the contents of the fridge, and felt sorry for myself, but I had to at least do that mile because I knew you were all there cheering me on. And so, apart from all the things I really couldn’t avoid doing, however depressed I felt, I also had this one daily task. And I really think it healed me. Exercise, nature and sketching – a magic potion for soothing the soul. So although there was a big black cloud hanging over me, sketchercise stopped me becoming completely engulfed, and one morning, after Christmas, I realised the depression had gone. Now isn’t that a recommendation!

Come back tomorrow for more thoughts on my year.

340mm x 195mm pen and watercolour on Arches HP

Walk Three Hundred and Sixty-Two – Nashe’s farm land from the woodland park

2007-04-24T22:30:00.000+01:00

I had thought that the last week of this challenge I would go in a blaze of glory. A magnificent display on my blog of huge paintings that took hours to produce. However the day-job and life get in the way. In any case that would be missing the point. Today as I joyfully squeezed a tiny bit of time into my ordinary life to put in that bit of balance – time to exercise the body and feed the soul with a little bit of creativity – I realised that this is what this is about. Just doing the little that can be fitted into living. And not letting the bad art (that is an inevitable part of the process) put you off doing it again and again. Like many people, I’ve had a lifelong problem with sport. My complete uselessness at most of the things that sport requires – balance, ball sense, whatever has meant that I could quite happily never do a stroke of exercise again. But where would that leave all the other parts of life? I’m sure that being fit helps in the process of making marks, painting, thinking. So for a balanced life I need to squeeze in some form of exercise. After this year is up I will continue to walk every day and sometimes inspired by Alison’s epic journey I might get on the back of that tandem! Anyway enough wittering – back to work!
190mm x 115mm pen and watercolour in moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Sixty-One – Waiting

2007-04-23T20:32:00.000+01:00

No time to draw today, so a one minute sketch of a waiting mother as I walked back and forth across the Woodland park to pick up Xavier.

90mm x 90mm pen in small sketchbook

Walk Three Hundred and Sixty – And the bluebell wood again

2007-04-22T21:46:00.000+01:00

Alison pointed out that I have probably miscounted my walks on more than one occasion to be at this number now. I should probably be closer to the end of the year-long challenge than I think I am. Anyway rather than trawl through all the posts and work out where I’ve got my dates muddled up, I’m going to go for Friday being the last day of the challenge. Some of you have asked whether I’m going to continue. Well I’ve decided that I don’t want a slow fizzle out, so Friday will definitely be my last day posting to this blog. I want to draw a line in the sand. I will of course continue drawing, sketching and walking, just not on this blog. Despite feeling quite sad (especially as I don’t have an excuse to escape the family while I sketchercise) I know that it’s time to build on what I’ve learned and find new challenges.
170mm x 255mm watercolour on Arches CP

Walk Three Hundred and Fifty-Nine – Boarded windows at Hill End Farm

2007-04-21T22:19:00.000+01:00

An evening walk past the bluebell wood and round what we call the ‘pheasant walk’. The windows at this farm have been boarded up for several months now, ever since the farm was sold and the tenants given their notice.
240mm x 165mm watercolour on Arches CP

Walk Three Hundred and Fifty-Eight – Sandridge posse

2007-04-20T21:30:00.000+01:00

After a busy day spent ferrying Xavier back and forth, working on a ~~bori~~ very exciting corporate publication, and cooking a meal for supper I was looking forward to a quick walk to the bluebell wood to enjoy my nature fix for the day. As I walked down the high street, the usual collection of teenage youths, who only move as a pack, were spread with their bikes all over the bench and pavement ahead. I didn’t have Xavier with me to demand to know their names, tell them to move their bikes and tell them that ‘smokies’ were bad and naughty. However I’m a fearless sketchblogger and I pulled out my trusty weapons – my pen, paints and moleskine and within seconds they had disappeared into thin air leaving the pavement clear for me and Rufus.

185mm x 125mm pen and watercolour in moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Fifty-Seven – And again

2007-04-19T20:54:00.000+01:00

While they’re looking so lovely I might as well keep trying to capture them. The other thing that I like so much about painting bluebells plein aire is the sweet smell. Makes me think that painting lavender fields must be another memorable painting experience. Thinking about smells, reminds me that the smell I really, really miss is frangipani flowers. And nobody seems to have bottled it effectively, but there’s a tiny spot in my brain that can recall it from my childhood in Fiji.

155mm x 235mm watercolour on Arches CP

Walk Three Hundred and Fifty-Six – The allotments

2007-04-18T23:32:00.000+01:00

On Sunday, my friends Natalie and Katie told us that they’ve rented an allotment, so as I wasn't aware of their existence tucked away behind Fairshot Court, I decided to walk in that direction this evening to see them. It was a heavenly spot, at the end of a track, through a gate and surrounded on three sides by fields with no-name wood in the distance. As it was Wednesday, you could hear the bell ringers at St Leonard’s church practicing. There were two people tending to their vegetables, and as I started to sketch they warned me that they were about to finish and lock up in five or ten minutes so just a rough impression of the rhubarb, plants and fields beyond. My own garden is shamefully neglected so there’s no chance of me being able to take on an allotment, at the moment, but maybe when I’m not so busy raising four children, I could think about raising my own fruit and vegetables and spending time in this gorgeous spot.
200mm x 145mm pen and watercolour in small sketchbook

Walk Three Hundred and Fifty-Six – Cowslips

2007-04-17T22:09:00.000+01:00

A teeny watercolour as I traipsed back and forth over Jersey Farm Woodland Park. I do know that these cowslips (planted by Bill’s wife, I think) are a lovely living memorial to Bill Morriss who did so much work to ensure that we had this park rather than yet another blooming golf course. Isn’t it funny how golf enthusiasts cannot see how a golf course in the middle of countryside is another development eating away at the countryside in much the same way as a superstore or business park. Clipped greens and bunkers covered in men in checked trousers are NOT countryside!

90mm x 95mm watercolour in Moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Fifty-Five – Guess where it is!

2007-04-16T20:09:00.000+01:00

I’m busy with the paid job, so it’s lovely to know that it will be light enough to walk in the evening, instead of having to break up the little amount of available work time, fitting in a daylight walk. The last couple of days have been so lovely, summer warmth, but all the beauty of spring. If you have never been to England, but want to visit at least once, I don’t think you’ll find a better time than the end of April towards the beginning of May. Gorgeous landscapes, perfect temperature. Mind you, when I was in my twenties I always thought it was a definite sign of middle age when you heard ladies on the bus, in the summer, fanning themselves and complaining about how much they disliked the heat!

185mm x 115mm watercolour in large moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Fifty-Four – Annual bluebell lunch

2007-04-15T22:31:00.000+01:00

Sunday lunch with friends and then a walk up to the bluebell wood. This was another of my quick walking, talking, sketching, painting pieces. Natalie (who has much longer legs than this poor picture conveys) was giving Xavier a tow with the red dog-lead. However although the legs aren’t right, seeing Natalie from behind is a very characteristic view, as her long legs mean that she is always striding ahead of everyone else.

Walk Three Hundred and Fifty-Four – The Bluebell Wood and a possible book

2007-04-14T20:13:00.000+01:00

Lovely bluebells.

Quite a few of you have suggested that this one mile from home project might make a good book, and I’ve brushed away the suggestion on the basis that it would be far too expensive. However inspired by Wally Torta and Natalie d’Arbeloff I’ve looked again at the cost of self-publishing and it turns out that in fact Lulu.com is very affordable. Particularly if all I want is one book to give to my dear father who is far too technophobic to actually look at my blog, but would be thrilled to think that his daughter was a published author (even if it is self-published). Anyway this is where you lot can help me. The book would be ridiculously expensive if it was 365 pages so I need to pick probably the best 50 or so pictures. So if you have a favourite post or picture that you think I should include, would you please either e-mail me or add a comment to the relevant post or picture.

230mm x 310mm watercolour on Arches HP

Walk Three Hundred and Fifty-Three – Luton Hoo driveway

2007-04-13T22:35:00.000+01:00

We visited one set of in-laws this afternoon, so I walked Rufus in the nearby fields which overlook the Luton Hoo estate where it gets close to Harpenden. I loved the look of the trees either side of the driveway meandering away for miles.
310mm x 230mm watercolour on Arches HP

Walk Three Hundred and Fifty-Two – Bluebell Wood

2007-04-12T23:40:00.000+01:00

A quickie before going out to London with Robin for my birthday. It’s late so no stories, anecdotes or rants, (though I sorely want to blog about the ungracious customer at the lovely restaurant we went to). Anyway just a picture for today.

Walk Three Hundred and Fifty-One – Rape field

2007-04-11T23:19:00.000+01:00

A warm hazy day, and the same walk as yesterday but without the little Emperor, so much easier to focus on finding a pleasing composition.

305mm x 225mm watercolour on Arches HP

Walk Three Hundred and Fifty – Evening in Hammonds Lane

2007-04-10T23:01:00.000+01:00

This evening Xavier and I walked the loop around Hammonds Lane (stopped to paint the rape seed crop) and through ‘No Name’ wood back to the village, into the churchyard, down the high street and home. There was a small group of large teenage boys with bikes loitering in the churchyard. Xavier is so funny – he isn’t in the least intimidated by older children. He struck them all dumb by demanding to know their names. When they didn’t reply he told them his name and persisted in wanting to know each and every one of their names. When they had all given in and mumbled their names to him, he then proceeded to show them the finer points of his ‘likebike’, how you can ride it inside the house and how there are stickers on both sides, and then he waved them goodbye and set off.

300mm x 225mm pen and watercolour on Arches HP paper

Walk Three Hundred and Forty-Nine – Fields

2007-04-09T21:51:00.000+01:00

A shopping trip for Flo today. Of course a seventeen year old girl can never have enough clothes, and she ended up with some very stylish outfits. However some of the clothes were so cheap compared to the cost of similar clothes ten or twenty years ago, you do wonder about who is losing out for us to be able to buy clothes at such a low price. Like most people my ethical conscience is directly related to my ability to afford it, so you can get a pretty good idea as to how healthy our family finances are, if you get free range or battery farmed chicken. But I do know that the poorer I’ve been, in most respects, the less I’ve had a negative impact on the planet and thus the more ‘ethical’ I’ve been. When I was a poor student I used to worry about the fact that I didn’t take the numerous empty wine bottles to the nearest bottle bank a couple of miles away – because I didn’t have a car! Oh it is all so complicated, but one thing I do know is that it makes me livid when the likes of Prince Charles tells us how to live a greener, more ethical lifestyle. Live the life, give up the Royal trains, cars and planes and then we might not think it so laughable when you deign to tell the rest of us what we should be doing to save the world.

Now what was it that set me off? Oh yes – cheap clothes. Anyway after our trip, a walk up to the bluebell wood with Hugo and Xavier on their bikes.
280mm x 195mm pen, ink and watercolour on Arches

Walk Three Hundred and Forty-Eight – The start of the bluebells

2007-04-08T16:23:00.000+01:00

The bluebell wood with Xavier. Gorgeous smell and gorgeous weather.
125mm x 190mm pen and watercolour in moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Forty-Seven – Day in London with Tom and Xavier

2007-04-08T00:18:00.000+01:00

There you go – please ignore my whingeing in the previous post. My son Tom was a star accompanying his old mother and little brother on a day out. We chose suitably gruesome museums – the Old Operating Theatre Museum and the Clink Prison Museum. We saw the replica of the Golden Hinde. We bought a picnic lunch from Borough Market – mecca for London foodies. We ate the lunch in the grounds of Southwark Cathedral. We walked along the Thames, Tom had a go on the Carsten Höller slides in the Tate Modern, we had a whistlestop tour of the watercolour exhibition at the Bankside galleries. And we walked back over the Thames to the train station. All in all, a day that felt like a holiday. All of the sketches above were done in pen during the day in my small cartridge sketchbook.

Walk Three Hundred and Forty-Six – Yellow fields

2007-04-06T18:53:00.000+01:00

Despite the cheerfulness of this picture I’m feeling grumpy because it’s yet another weekend without Robin and without the car, and Xavier seems to be going through a tyrannical phase – which is something that can be difficult to bear on a holiday weekend without another adult to share the pressure. I need to think of something to do to get him out of the house early tomorrow, so I don’t spend the whole day tidying up and catering to his demands and feeling hard done by. Now, time to start the mantra – I have a lot to be grateful for, let me name the ways…

120mm x 195mm pen and watercolour in moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Forty-Five – Waiting for the bus

2007-04-05T23:27:00.000+01:00

At last, only the morning stuck in front of the computer. Then a lunchtime walk – the bus shelter is across the road from Pound Farm. And then my lovely birthday treat with Flo. A wander round central London in the sunshine, coffee, more wandering, dinner and then the highlight of the day, Peter Shaffer’s Equus with Richard Griffiths, Daniel Radcliffe and Jenny Agutter. It was very, very good and I am exhausted and off to bed now. I’ll post a few train sketches from our day on my other blog tomorrow.

185mm x 115mm pen and watercolour in moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Forty-Four – Walking and painting

2007-04-04T20:52:00.000+01:00

Another day stuck in front of the computer. Robin is off work at the moment so he made me stop at eleven o’ clock to do some back exerises. He made lunch and then at the end of the day he and Xavier accompanied me on my walk. I do love adult company when I walk, so this was a rare treat. However Robin has no patience with me stopping to draw so I did this as we walked. Amazing how it’s possible to walk, draw and paint with these little watercolour sets and waterbrushes.
130mm x 195mm pen and watercolour in moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Forty-Three – Two trees

2007-04-03T20:31:00.000+01:00

Another whole day sat working in front of my computer. It was bitterly cold when I went out and I am exhausted as I was also working late last night so a quickie painting and the bare minimum walk round the bluebell wood and home to supper.
190mm x 120mm pen and watercolour in moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Forty-Two – Gingerbread house

2007-04-02T19:03:00.000+01:00

This sweet house at the edge of the village is the only one like this. I didn’t have much time to draw as, in addition to work, I’m trying to get to grips with a complete change in how I do my accounts. Anyway despite the wonkiness and inaccuracies of the lines I had to add colour as I particularly like the contrast between the bright orange red roof and the dark chocolate walls. I then walked the loop up Woodcock Hill and round past Nashe’s Farm.

200mm x 125mm pen and watercolour in moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Forty-One – Palm Sunday and the Bluebell Wood

2007-04-01T19:33:00.000+01:00

I got up this morning, after a fairly disturbed night, to get a packed lunch ready for Hugo’s kayaking day. Several teenagers were buried under duvets in the open plan living area, so breakfast was also supplied whilst I cleared up some of the party chaos. Then Xavier and I left for the Palm Sunday procession. We decided that Xavier’s Disney Hercules costume was the nearest thing to biblical times and he looked pretty much like a Roman soldier in it. Tom, was despatched to the garden in his pyjamas to cut ‘palms’ for Xavier and I to wave. We ran briskly across the village and congregated at the village school where several of the villagers were also dressed up. A bearded bespectacled man played the part of Jesus and Dandy the donkey also joined the procession. Vanessa, the vicar led us in prayers, singing and criss-crossing the village in procession to the church. A great fun way for Xavier to understand the bible story. I did bring my sketch book, but with hands full of palms, song sheet and soldier’s sword, my sketch had to wait until I walked later on with Rufus.
195mm x 120mm pencil and watercolour in moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Forty – Rufus, weight training

2007-03-31T21:10:00.000+01:00

The whole day was spent shopping, cooking and cleaning in preparation for Flo’s birthday dinner - a girly evening with about fifteen friends, so I’m writing this to a backdrop of shrieks and giggles and hoots of laughter coming from the other room. At three I took a break with Rufus and Xavier and went up to our favourite spot. Rufus does so love to find the biggest, heaviest stick or small tree trunk to carry on his walk. This one was so heavy that as he strained to lift it with his jaws, and pushed with his front shoulders, his back legs came right up off the ground.

200mm x 135mm pen and water soluble pencil in small sketchbook

Walk Three Hundred and Thirty-Nine – Pound Farm building

2007-03-30T20:21:00.000+01:00

Thank goodness it’s friday evening. Another day where the paid work and catching the postal deadline for my VAT return almost overwhelmed me. This was quickly sketched after popping the letter in the post, walking Rufus up to the bluebell wood and before having to rush back to feed the hordes before they left for Sea Cadets. Today is my darling Flo’s seventeenth birthday. One of her presents (well it’s for me as well) is tickets for the West End production of Equus. Although she can’t help getting the giggles at the thought of seeing fellow seventeen year old, Daniel Radcliffe (of Harry Potter fame) without any clothes on, I know she’ll appreciate the play as much as I did when I first saw it in London, when I was about the same age as she is now.

195mm x 125mm watersoluble pencil in moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Thirty-Eight – Pound Farm stables

2007-03-29T21:57:00.000+01:00

Lots of deadlines and aagh when I turned up at afternoon nursery it was closed!! So a desperate attempt to do design work in the few hours I thought I would be Xavier-free. Followed by a visit from John, James and Thomas, Xavier’s triplet friends. Once Robin got home I rushed out for an evening walk up to the bluebell wood and drew the stables on the way.

200mm x 145mm water soluble pencil in moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Thirty-Seven – Hugo skateboarding

2007-03-28T23:08:00.000+01:00

After spending almost the entire day hunched over the computer catching up with work whilst Robin did all the Xavier errands, I walked up to the bluebell wood in the evening, in the small window between doing work for clients and making supper for the family and going out for my last life drawing session. My second son Hugo had gone out earlier to practice his skateboarding and these little stick men were my effort to capture him. All these drawings, trying to capture the their essence before they change. I’ll now always remember this moment – Hugo in typical Hugo fashion still wearing his school uniform jacket, tie and trousers, not worrying about the possibility of rips or tears.

200mm x 145mm pen in small sketchbook

Walk Three Hundred and Thirty-Six – The view from Grace’s bench

2007-03-27T22:53:00.000+01:00

It really feels as though spring has sprung. A warm hazy day and the bonus of being able to walk in the evening with our extra hour of daylight.

200mm x 125mm watercolour and ink in large moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Thirty-Five – Mediterranean Sandridge

2007-03-26T21:29:00.000+01:00

It was a lovely sunny day and I had planned to sketch the long evening shadows over the fields by the bluebell wood. However when I saw that our shopkeeper has bought four chairs and a couple of tables so that we can sit outside and enjoy coffee bought at the shop, I couldn’t resist recording this historic moment in the village. The evening before the binmen come to pick up all the rubbish probably wasn’t the best day to launch café al fresco, but I don’t suppose that has ever stopped the opening of a new Starbucks.
200mm x 145mm pen and watercolour in small sketchbook

Walk Three Hundred and Thirty-Four – Xavier in the bluebell wood

2007-03-25T18:52:00.000+01:00

Tom baked cakes with Xavier while I tried to work and then I took Xavier to the bluebell wood while Tom caught up with homework. When Xavier needs the toilet and help with cleaning himself he usually says ‘Mummy, I want to whisper something in your ear’ – even if there’s no-one around. As I only had a couple of tissues, stained with watercolour, in my pocket, I was relieved when this turned out to be a false alarm. The wood was full of wood anemones and even a few very early bluebells could be seen. Last year, I see in this blog, it was late April before the flowers were at this stage, all that mild weather over winter I assume.
Pen and watercolour in small sketchbook

Walk Three Hundred and Thirty-Three – Bus window

2007-03-24T20:56:00.000Z

I did walk more than a couple of miles into town with Xavier, but burdened with heavy bags of fruit and vegetables I caught the bus back and this was my only opportunity to draw. She looks as though she’s having as much fun as I am.

205mm x 145mm in small sketchbook.

Walk Three Hundred and Thirty-Two – Bluebell wood path

2007-03-23T20:33:00.000Z

I had such a lot to do for the day job today. Fortunately Robin was also working from home so I was able to leave him to pick up Xavier while I quickly walked round the bluebell wood. It won’t be much of a weekend for me as I will be carless, Robinless and Hugoless, whilst also needing to try and fit in work in the odd moment that I can persuade Xavier that he really wants to watch children’s television. However the great thing is that the clocks go back an hour – which really makes me feel as though spring is here.
125mm x 195mm pen in large watercolour moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Thirty-One – School Assembly

2007-03-22T23:17:00.000Z

The return part of my walk was disrupted by the boys’ school ringing to say I needed to take Hugo home as he was ill. With my car a mile away, and thoughts of appendicitis occupying my mind, I was grateful to my friend Sharron for a lift to the car in the emergency. I picked up Hugo, only to find it was a complete over-reaction by the school. He came home, had a glass of water and then wanted to go back as there was a class outing planned. After returning Hugo to school, I then had to rush back to see Xavier’s first school assembly – which was a delight and also the only opportunity I had today to sketch. He then went to tea with John, James and Thomas (yes – triplets) after having a complete change of clothes because of a temper tantrum with a full yoghurt pot in the car. All this and I have three publications to produce and the launch leaflet for a dear friend’s new business. I received scant sympathy for my stressful day from my nearest and dearest. But he had an equally difficult day as budget day imposes a whole lot of extra work onto his shoulders, so I’m just going to look forward to a an easier day tomorrow, and as I won’t have use of a car at the weekend I can mak up the miles then.
60mm x 90mm ink doodle in small sketchbook

Walk Three Hundred and Thirty – My Dad

2007-03-21T22:24:00.000Z

My Dad came down for the day and accompanied me on the walk over the woodland park. I’m trying to persuade him to make visiting us part of his weekly routine – it’s nice to have him in the house doing the Daily Telegraph cryptic crossword puzzle while I work in the office, and then joining me for coffee, lunch, walk and the nursery pick up.

125mm x 195mm pen in watercolour moleskine – whoops, forgot to pack the paints

Walk Three Hundred and Twenty-Nine – New path

2007-03-20T21:40:00.000Z

A bitterly cold day with sharp shards of hail pricking my face as I walked home from leaving Xavier at nursery. Then, as I walked back to pick him up, I picked the one hour in the day when the snow fell thickly and (because of the wind) in almost horizontal lines. Only this one mile challenge could have dragged me out in such weather. The good news is that I won’t have to slip and slide all the way across the woodland park when it’s wet and muddy as these stone paths are being made around the edge of the park. The poor workmen were out all day in the freezing cold.

200mm x 145mm brushpen in small sketchbook

Walk Three Hundred and Twenty-Eight – Clouds before the snow

2007-03-19T20:01:00.000Z

What a lot of weather today! Bright sunshine and clear skies this morning. The clouds started to build up and at lunch time, when I sketched this, at the woodland park, the wind was blowing at quite a pace. Then in the afternoon we had a hail downpour, followed by a period of relative calm and then a flurry of snow as dusk fell. And you wonder why English people spend so much of their time talking about the weather.

410mm x 130mm watercolour in moleskine watercolour sketchbook

Walk Three Hundred and Twenty-Seven – Sheep

2007-03-18T21:33:00.000Z

I haven’t walked this way before because it’s a bit of a boring route past the Jersey Farm housing estate, however as this is the nearest place to show Xavier the spring lambs I thought I would go this way today. There was fierce icy wind, a brief shower of hail and a wonderful display of clouds, from bright white cumulus to huge towering slate grey clouds with visible streaks of precipitation. We are so lucky with our skies in this country. You can live in the middle of a huge city, but you can still enjoy the beauty and variety of nature by simply looking up. The wind, cold and Xavier were not conducive to creating pictures so just a few little scribbles in my large moleskine. Xavier entertained me pointing out the similarities of Robin to Homer Simpson.

Walk Three Hundred and Twenty-Six – I wandered lonely as a cloud...

2007-03-17T20:26:00.000Z

Exhausted after a day of food and linen shopping in the company of Xavier, so a very loose rendition of the bank of daffodils by the scout hut en route to the bluebell wood.

195mm x 120mm brush pen and watercolour in large moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Twenty-Five – Pound Farm tractor

2007-03-16T19:11:00.000Z

An evening walk up to the bluebell wood and I knew I needed to rush back to feed the hordes before all their evening activities so I restricted myself to ten minutes for drawing.

200mm x 140mm pen in small sketchbook

Walk Three Hundred and Twenty-Four – Jersey Lane

2007-03-15T17:13:00.000Z

Today (after Alison’s comment in the previous post) I timed myself whilst producing this picture of the edge of the village and Jersey Lane. I intended to try to be quick as I had lots to do. Speed is always a bit of a problem when it includes difficult things like architecture. Anyway from beginning to end this took twenty-five minutes. Yes I know, I am slow and this is a slapdash picture. So the ones that are more carefully observed take even longer!

190mm x 120mm pen and watercolour in moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Twenty-Three – Ayres End House

2007-03-14T15:40:00.000Z

I was a bit naughty today and walked a route that did not appear as a public footpath on the Ordnance Survey map. However what prompted my considering a route off the path were some signs put up by the farmer forbidding horses and riders from using the grass verges around the edges of the fields. So I reasoned that if he was outlawing horses and riders then presumably he doesn’t mind one careful walker with an obedient dog. It meant that I would see some of the places I’m so familiar with from a different angle. The right corner of the field in the background is where I sat to draw the railway line the other day.
Robin is busy at the moment making up flatpack bunk beds for Flo and Xavier. A bit of a milestone as this will be Xavier’s first bed and last night was definitely the last time I would ever have a child in a cot, sniff.

195mm x 125mm pen and watercolour in large moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Twenty-Two – Woodcock Hill view

2007-03-13T16:58:00.000Z

I love this ribbon of road with its steep banks leading down Woodcock Hill to the village. I think if I ever took the time to paint a large ‘proper’ painting of one of the views of the village, this might be the spot I would choose.

185mm x 120mm pen and watercolour in large Moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Twenty-One – The Field

2007-03-12T20:01:00.000Z

I was all fired up with enthusiasm for using masking fluid after yesterday’s painting, but discovered today that it really isn’t a good idea to use it when you’re short of time. As I dragged my kolinsky sable paintbrush over the previously applied masking fluid I discovered to my horror that I hadn’t waited long enough and my beautiful brush was clogged up with lumps of masking fluid. Panic-struck I left the painting to do its own thing and poured all available water over the brush to keep it wet as I pulled each of the sable hairs through my fingernails (an exercise reminiscent of the numerous occasions I’ve had to deal with yet another round of school-spread head-lice — which by the by, for me, has to be the best reason to seriously consider homeschooling). Anyway the brush seems to have been saved. And I’ve learned to leave that little bottle at home unless I have loads of time.

245mm x 170mm pen and watercolour on Arches paper

Walk Three Hundred and Twenty – Oak tree

2007-03-11T15:36:00.000Z

Another lovely day and another long walk. I just sat down on the path to paint while Rufus basked in the sunshine.

170mm x 245mm watercolour on Arches paper

Walk Three Hundred and Nineteen – The railway line at Ayres End

2007-03-10T21:33:00.000Z

To make up for the very short walk yesterday I went on a long circular walk way past the Bluebell wood to Ayres End and back. Spring seems to be so early this year. I saw purple and white violets, celandines, speedwell and lots of daffodils, but as there once was a time that I trained as a natural history illustrator, I find it quite difficult to consider drawing these lovely flowers as I always think I need to put in every detail and thus spend weeks on one illustration. It is so liberating to loosen up and be able to create something in a few minutes.

195mm x 120mm ink and watercolour in large watercolour Moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Eighteen – Nightfall over Spencer playing field

2007-03-09T12:18:00.000Z

Today the walk and drawing were all a bit rushed and curtailed as Robin and I had a rare evening out and we also had to squeeze in an unexpected Doctor’s visit for Xavier when I was hoping to walk. I’ll make up for lack of walking distance I promise. I chose this spot because I was able to stand under another street light to draw and paint. The building is the Sandridge sports and social club – the sort of damp, cheerless venue that most English villages seem to have. Funnily enough our evening out for our friend’s 50th birthday party, was at another sports and social club which was the complete opposite – a very smart building with balconies overlooking the Albanian Rugby club playing fields.

185mm x 110mm pen and watercolour in watercolour Moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Seventeen – Rufus impersonating a cow

2007-03-08T13:14:00.001Z

As you can see it was a beautiful day for my walk over the Woodland Park, I even sat down on the still damp grass, it felt so summery.

195mm x 120mm ink and watercolour in large Moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Sixteen – Evening sky

2007-03-07T20:17:00.000Z

I couldn’t walk at lunch as Rufus had a vet’s appointment to check out an eye problem which was diagnosed as Horner’s syndrome. The vet said that it was very difficult to eliminate all the possible causes but he reckoned that in California they wouldn't let your pet leave without being subjected to a battery of expensive tests to find the cause and even then they wouldn't necessarily find it. However in the majority of cases the eye gets better on its own. So we both agreed the best thing was to leave it for a couple of weeks and see what happened.

I presume that even in the US, California is shorthand for batty indulgent behaviour by people with more money than sense. Years ago when we took Rufus to a dog therapist for a behaviour problem (he liked the ladies a bit too much), the therapist said that up north, where he came from, they thought that dog therapy was only for soft southerners, whereas over in California it was almost compulsory. So if there are any Californians reading, and you come over to England, you'll probably find you’ll feel most at home near to London surrounded by ’Soft Southerners’.

The usual Bluebell wood walk at about five in the evening – thank goodness the evenings are getting lighter.

195mm x 120mm pen and watercolour in large moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Fifteen – A bit of culture

2007-03-06T22:47:00.000Z

A meeting with clients in London, all morning and after lunch. With Robin being the responsible adult at home, I felt I could indulge myself a bit afterwards and see this portrait that Katherine Tyrell wrote about in her blog. It was, in my opinion, the best piece in the exhibition, by far. Why didn’t it win one of the prizes?* Anyway thanks to Katherine for directing me there. And hello to delightful Fenella and baby Darina who were also enjoying the exhibition. Oh and I did lots of walking around Paddington, the City of London, St Pauls, across the Millenium Bridge, down the Embankment and back over the river to Blackfriars.

* Edited to add: If you look in the comments below it turns out Sue’s painting did win a well deserved first prize

200mm x 145 mm pen in small sketchbook

Walk Three Hundred and Fourteen – Grace’s bench

2007-03-05T19:50:00.000Z

Grace’s bench is at the far end of the bluebell wood. I didn’t know Grace Parker – we only moved to the village at the end of 1999 – but I like to think that maybe she was a kindred spirit who loved the bluebell wood as much as I do.

195mm x 120mm pen and watercolour in large moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Thirteen – Rose and Crown

2007-03-04T15:47:00.000Z

I delayed walking as the day started dismally, with a constant drizzle, but it never stopped, so I forced myself out in the afternoon. Now if you, my lovely readers were not there, I really don’t think I would have bothered. I’d have bribed one of the children to give Rufus a quick run around Spencer playing field. Anyway I stopped in a doorway to draw, before trudging up the hill, round the Bluebell Wood, slipping and getting covered in mud, and coming home.
My son Hugo tells me that the make of the car on the right, for sale at the next-door business, is perfectly recognisable – which rather pleases me as I am rather pathetic when it comes to vehicles.

200mm x 145mm pen in small sketchbook

And for fun

2007-03-04T15:32:00.000Z

The picture below with colour added in Painter using my new Wacom pad.

Walk Three Hundred and Twelve – Horses and sausages

2007-03-03T17:08:00.000Z

A gorgeous day of beautiful clouds, blue skies, showers and rainbows. Sandridgebury stables is on the left and the butcher’s is the tiny building on the right. Click on the picture to see a bigger version.

410mm x 125mm ink and watercolour in large watercolour Moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Eleven – Blossom time

2007-03-02T16:40:00.000Z

Even in the dullest and most pedestrian of suburban streets it’s possible to find something of beauty. Several of these beautifully twisted tiny trees can be found in the residential roads around Xavier’s nursery. It seemed like one day they were bare and the next they were in flower.
125mm x 195mm pen and watercolour in watercolour moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Ten – No name wood in the distance

2007-03-01T17:20:00.000Z

A quickie, standing up, small sketchbook and small watercolour set in one hand. I would never have attempted this when I was a young student – I was far too perfectionist and as a result I never filled a sketchbook in eight years of being an art student. My poor son Tom (the one who likes art the most) gets his ear bent constantly by me – keep a tiny sketchbook with you – just draw whenever you have five minutes. So of course he’s taken the mobile phone and the MP3 player out of his pocket and replaced it with a sketchbook – yeah right!

185mm x 135mm walnut ink and watercolour

Walk Three Hundred and Nine – Nashe’s Farm Track

2007-02-28T17:28:00.000Z

A showery day, so having started the drawing while it was dry, the rain clouds found that open sketchbook too tempting and let rip. But I’m getting quite practiced at rain on my drawings so I abandoned all ideas of adding watercolour. I think I came off quite lightly this time.

195mm x 125mm pen and walnut ink in large watercolour moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Eight – The old Post Office

2007-02-27T19:56:00.000Z

There was a constant drizzle all day, I wasn’t going to try and delude myself that the leafless trees in the bluebell wood would be any protection from the rain, so I stopped in the doorway of the village hall to draw, before enjoying the woods in the rain. Just down the road from the zebra crossing is the old post-office. Sadly with the emphasis on financial profitability, rather than community services, and thus a lack of government support for sub post-offices we no longer have one in the village. Reg Auckland, the last postmaster, retired some time ago and his widow Peggy still lives in the house. I think there was a door between the two bay windows when it was still a business. To see how it looked in its heyday look here.

Walk Three Hundred and Seven – The front garden

2007-02-26T19:57:00.000Z

After walking through the Woodland Park, nothing attracted my eye. I ended up taking a detour down some residential roads in the village to find something that I felt like drawing. In the end I decided to emulate Alison as it rather delighted me that she is enjoying autumn crocuses, while we are enjoying the spring version.

160mm x 100mm pen and watercolour in large moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Six – Picnic on Grace’s bench

2007-02-25T17:54:00.000Z

I was abandoned by everyone apart from Xavier today. Robin and Hugo off sailing, Flo working and Tom on a Sea Cadets weekend. I tried to tackle various bits of tidying up, however Xavier can mess things up at a faster rate than I can tidy up, so as it was getting progressively worse I thought it was time to get out of the house. Despite the downpour I made a picnic lunch of smoked salmon sandwiches (today was the use by date on the packet). Only a mad person would have set out in such weather, a mad person or a mother of a four year old. Luckily after about half an hour the rain abated and we were blessed with some patches of blue sky and a rainbow. Xavier thoroughly enjoyed the puddles and mud. He also enjoyed the smoked salmon sandwiches, which has now increased the number of sandwich fillings that he is prepared to eat by 100%. So milord perhaps we should try caviar next weekend?

200mm x 140mm pen and watercolour in small sketchbook

Walk Three Hundred and Five – The view from House Lane

2007-02-24T19:23:00.000Z

A quickie, as I’m still in the throes of trying to turn my office into a pleasant working space. The final touch is to coax Robin to move his office into the attic room. Wish me luck.

Walk Three Hundred and Four – Carpenter’s Field

2007-02-23T19:43:00.000Z

The walk across the Woodland park. A very quick rendition of trees, hedge and acid green field on a blustery day. I edited out the semi-detached houses on the edge of the Woodland park, because I’m beginning to think architecture is not something to draw in a hurry.

190mm x 140mm brushpen and watercolour in small sketchbook

Walk Three Hundred and Three – Further down the road

2007-02-22T21:38:00.000Z

I have had such a busy day cleaning the house and getting my office into a usable state. I’m normally quite a cheerful person, but everything surrounding my mother’s death last summer has had quite an effect on my mood for the past six months. Fortunately the cloud of depression seems to at last be lifting, I feel energised and ready to deal with all the chaotic areas of my life. So a huge amount of de-cluttering and hard physical graft today. Then Xavier had two friends to tea, so very little time to walk and draw. After playing trains with the boys for half an hour I left the older children in charge, drew for a few minutes and walked up to the Bluebell wood as quickly as possible and came back to make supper for the toddlers and then supper for the rest of the family. Phew!

85mm x 125mm pen in moleskine

Walk Three Hundred and Two – Gorgeous clouds

2007-02-21T17:22:00.000Z

Lovely, lovely day – blue skies, daffodils and crocuses, oh the joy of feeling as though winter is over. Very quick sketch near Pound Farm on the way to the Bluebell wood, as I’m indulging myself in two hours of life-drawing this evening.

195mm x 145mm pen and watercolour in small cartridge sketchbook

Walk Three Hundred and One – Drips

2007-02-20T22:27:00.000Z

This drawing wasn’t so bad until I decided that it needed a background tone to try to bring out the bright white light in the drips of water. And it was supposed to be a quickie. I think my irritation and boredom shines through. And no time to do something else. Xavier is back at nursery so this was drawn as I crossed the woodland park.

190mm x 130mm pen in A5 sketchbook

Walk Three Hundred – Overcast again

2007-02-19T17:26:00.000Z

This is the walk up to the Bluebell Wood again.
Our weather is so changeable in England there’s no chance of me cheating on this challenge. Katherine in London is close enough to be having pretty much the same weather, so I can’t just dig out an old drawing as she’d know if I got the weather wrong.

Over the year I’ve started to feel very affectionate towards elements of the landscape around here. There are trees that feel to me like old friends because I’ve spent time looking at them in a way I probably would never have done without this challenge. And it’s funny to think that these old friends of mine could well be around hundreds of years after I die. Although some of them could be chopped down, like the silver birch trees I drew here.

170mm x 250mm watercolour and pen on Arches CP paper

Walk Two Hundred and Ninety-Nine – Path from No Name Wood

2007-02-18T14:42:00.000Z

While most of the family were having a lie-in I walked Rufus and painted this. The tree on the right has some kind of disease which creates the lumps in the branches – which made a pretty pattern against the sky. As you can see – not the best of weather at the moment, but thankfully no rain. I now have to cook a special meal to celebrate Tom passing his RYA day skipper theory exam. The first meal together for the whole family for a week,.

245mm x 170mm watercolour on Arches cold pressed paper

Walk Two Hundred and Ninety-Eight – Snowdrops by the scout hut

2007-02-17T17:47:00.000Z

A very quick walk and sketch today. Apart from this walk my whole day seems to have been shopping for food. I’ve just finished a novel where a recently divorced woman felt uncomfortable going into the butchers and buying one or two chops. I wonder whether I’ll feel like that when the children have all left home – I can’t imagine I will. I think I’ll just be grateful that I can shop quickly and carry home light shopping bags.

90mm x 130mm watercolour in cartridge sketchbook

Walk Two Hundred and Ninety-Seven – Hugo texting the chauffeur

2007-02-16T20:02:00.000Z

Hugo has been spending half-term week in Plymouth on a seamanship course and I needed to meet him at Paddington station. I had originally planned to get into London early enough to walk, visit a couple of art shops, sit down somewhere and paint something in London and then meet him. However time ran out and I had to head straight to Paddington after the art shops. So this was quickly painted on the twenty minute train journey from Kings Cross to St Albans.

Walk Two Hundred and Ninety-Six – Hill End Farm and Childwickbury cheese

2007-02-15T16:34:00.000Z

Mild, windy and some clouds. Flo was back early today from her work experience, so was able to look after Xavier who was fast asleep after a night of being sick. He’s well now, but exhausted.

Flo is spending the half-term week working at Childwickbury goat farm, milking goats, vaccinating them, helping them when they give birth. She’s also helped out with making their delicious cheese (Childwickbury and Verulamium). The Childwickbury is a delicious, delicate fresh tasting cheese (goat’s milk cheese for people who don’t generally like goat’s milk cheese) and the Verulamium is a lovely soft matured goat’s milk cheese. I generally buy at least one of these cheeses once a week at the cheese stall at St Albans Saturday market. They can also be bought at Neal’s Yard Dairy and I think, Harvey Nichols and Harrods. It’s a joy to be able to buy a really superb local product and have it put into a paper bag by Elizabeth – the master cheesemaker, herself. If you live in St Albans and haven’t tried these cheeses yet – you must!

250mm x 150mm watercolour on Arches CP

Walk Two Hundred and Ninety-Five – The scout hut

2007-02-14T16:51:00.000Z

A quick walk to the Bluebell Wood. Today is the only day of childcare I’m getting this week so I need to use the time for the day job. This is about half way up the track. I think Xavier will love it when he’s old enough to join.

240mm x 170mm sepia pen and graphitint pencil on watercolour paper

Walk Two Hundred and Ninety-Four – Rhubarb

2007-02-13T22:56:00.000Z

I had to walk back from the garage after dropping the car off for a health check this morning. I stopped off at Carpenter’s (a local market garden that sells fruit and vegetables and garden supplies) to pick up some fruit and vegetables and brought home this lovely pink Yorkshire rhubarb. In case you didn’t know, it’s grown in the dark and picked by candlelight to retain the colour. I had planned to draw when I went to pick up the car, but by the time it was ready it was dark, so I reckoned that as the rhubarb was bought on the daylight part of the walk it would be an OK subject.

275mm x 175mm soft pastels on grey pastel paper

Walk Two Hundred and Ninety-Three – Jumping in puddles

2007-02-12T21:19:00.000Z

Rain, rain, rain all day. I tempted Xavier out for a walk with the prospect of all those puddles to jump in. So up to the Bluebell Wood and back. The water running down the track was like a miniature river with whirlpools, eddies, falls and backwaters. Xavier was a giant striding through the water and a walking bridge straddling the river.

Earlier in the day, before our walk, we were taking Tom to the cinema and Xavier excitedly pointed out a ‘car shop’. He then thought a little and said ‘Mummy when you buy a car from a car shop, how do you take it home?’

200mm x 140mm several inkpens and a lot of rain in cartridge sketchbook

Walk Two Hundred and Ninety-Two – Next door

2007-02-11T21:55:00.000Z

As I stood over the road painting this before I set off, Mark, my neighbour shouted out to me – ‘that’s not a mile from home’ – well as you can see, the walk afterwards was. I was considering drawing the house on the other side of our house (as it’s the owner’s birthday today – happy birthday, Patrick) but I couldn’t face all those windows today. I love this sort of road – the houses are all different sizes and range from modern to very old. In reality you can see a bit of my house on the left of the house next door, but you’ll have to wait ’till the last day of the challenge to see where I live.

90mm x 180mm pen and watercolour

Walk Two Hundred and Ninety-One – No name woods

2007-02-10T16:17:00.000Z

This is the view across the valley from the track up to the Bluebell Woods. I don’t know the name of the woods you can see here – there’s nothing on the ordnance survey map. From my walks through it I could call it ‘Lost Camera Woods’ or ‘Falling Tree Woods’, though I rather like ‘No Name Woods’.

175mm x 85mm watercolour in large watercolour moleskine

Walk Two Hundred and Ninety – Snowy track

2007-02-09T15:30:00.000Z

The snow is beginning to melt – it has dripped off the trees and houses and in the village there’s black slush on the pavements and in the gutters, but it still looks pristine out on the fields. Apart from the remnants of snowmen I think it’ll all have gone by Sunday. This is the track up to the Bluebell Wood.

195mm x 125mm pen and watercolour in watercolour moleskine

Walk Two Hundred and Eighty-Nine – Tellytubby in the snow

2007-02-08T18:51:00.000Z

We woke up this morning to a thick layer of snow. School and work were cancelled so we slowly drove to Nomansland to go tobogganing. Tom and I decided to walk back while Robin drove everyone else home. Tom is wearing Hugo’s strange hat with ear flaps and a spike out of the top. There was a constant spray of fine wet snow so nature contributed as much to this painting as I did.

195mm x 120mm pen, watercolour and snow in watercolour moleskine

Walk Two Hundred and Eighty-Eight – Contrails over the Woodland Park

2007-02-07T20:14:00.000Z

Very busy day as it’s my lovely son Hugo’s thirteenth birthday. When it’s the children’s birthdays I always cook their favourite meal, (Hugo’s was roast chicken with all the trimmings including lots of home-made stuffing followed by chocolate and pistachio birthday cake with raspberries) so there was shopping and cooking to be done around everything else. On my walk back, as I neared the road by the school I heard the sickening crunch of car against car. I ran to the road to make sure no-one was hurt. Fortunately it was just a shunt of one car driving into the back of another, without much damage – but you’ll never guess who was the poor unfortunate who was driven into – it was Sarah from yesterday! We walked up the path to the nursery together as she resolved to give up driving and take up walking.

190mm x 120mm pen and watercolour in large watercolour moleskine

Walk Two Hundred and Eighty-Seven – After the prang

2007-02-06T20:50:00.000Z

I still can’t shake off this cold and today with a head that felt as though cottonwool had been forcibly injected into every orifice, I picked up Xavier to take him to Nursery. Outside the school I had to park on the road whilst I waited for someone to move out of the much safer layby. Then when it was free I reversed – straight into the car parked behind me. We probably would have barely touched if it wasn’t for the tow bar that Robin has recently fixed to the back of the car. So now my car and the car behind were like a pair of unwillingly conjoined twins. Sarah, the other mother and car owner, was remarkably kind and understanding, but neither of us could separate. Not only that but neither of us had phones that worked. Another mother had a phone that worked but my garage has a name that defies all attempts to find it by directory enquiries (it’s either Autotech or Auto-Tech or Auto Tech). In the end the third mother drove me round to the garage to plead for their help. They were great – Sarah and I felt like a couple of pathetic girls, so grateful and relieved when our male knight in shining armour came to sort it out. There was no damage to my car and the damage to Sarah’s was very minor – but you know cars – the mechanic said there’s hardly anything to be fixed, it shouldn’t cost more than about £400 to sort it all out! I walked round and round the Woodland park afterwards and drew this in a few minutes.

I’m sorry if anything looks odd, but Blogger forced me to upgrade today even though I was not in the mood for it.

I have a lot to be grateful for, no-one was hurt, Sarah was kind, the other mother whose name I don’t know was very helpful, the garage mechanic came out to help, we have car insurance, Robin was laid back about the incident. Now if I keep repeating that over and over – maybe I can chant my way into a good mood.

200mm x 145mm pencil and watercolour in cartridge sketchbook

Walk Two Hundred and Eighty-Six – School milk

2007-02-05T20:42:00.000Z

Alison probably remembers free school milk coming in miniature milk bottles. Now it comes in cartons like this and I think is only free at nursery school and for the first year of school. I also order a little carton every day from the milkman so that Xavier has a convenient carton to drink with his lunch. Since Jamie Oliver campaigned for better nutrition in UK schools, the children also get given a piece of fruit or a vegetable once or twice a week to take home, but I must admit the take-up is fairly poor so I often come home with my pockets bulging with unwanted apples or carrots.

The weather was cold and grey and I have quite a lot of work from my lovely clients so I quickly drew this while Xavier ate his lunch, and then walked briskly back over the Woodland Park.

I had a phone call today from a company that made me really appreciate my clients. They wanted a report typeset and laid out together with all the Powerpoint and Excel graphs and diagrams redrawn in Illustrator for £10 per page. All by yesterday. It is possible that it could have been done fairly quickly but I know what a nightmare the re-drawing of graphs and diagrams can be. However, what really set off the alarm bells was when they tried to sell the job to me by impressing on me that I would get my name credited in the book. I think they must have thought I was a very green start-up business, so I just said that the credit didn’t really interest me as in 25 years of being in business I’d never had repeat business from having a credit printed on a piece of work. Then they weren’t prepared to post or e-mail the source files, (so that I could ascertain the complexity of the job) but expected me to drive to the next town to pick them up. Just to give an idea of how that rate relates in other parts of the world, children usually get paid at least £4.50 an hour for babysitting over here and Flo tells me that a McDonalds cheeseburger costs about £2.00. So if it was possible to knock out a page including illustrations in a couple of hours and if the kids helped out with babysitting it sounds as though I’d be able to buy a couple of cheeseburgers a day on the before tax profits. I decided it probably wasn’t worth it!

110mm x 110mm ink on cartridge with colour digitally added later

Walk Two Hundred and Eighty-Five – Footpath to Ayres End

2007-02-04T13:50:00.000Z

Thanks to Robin looking after Xavier I was able to spend much more time than usual on my drawing for today. He pushed me out of the door early. There was a slight frost but it was a beautiful day. I had thought it might be better to wait for the frost to melt, but thank goodness I didn't, because two thirds of the way through this – in a matter of moments – a freezing cold mist descended. I finished off, but Rufus and I came home chilled to the bone. It was very enjoyable using a different medium – some pastel pencils I bought in my student days, but carrying a full array of colours creates a much more cumbersome artbag than taking out a small set of watercolours.
350mm x 250mm pastel pencils on Arches HP

Walk Two Hundred and Eighty-Four – In the woods

2007-02-03T15:34:00.000Z

Gorgeous day. I was going to paint fields and trees but I made myself attempt the woods. So often a subject seems overwhelmingly difficult, but if I make myself try it, the next time it gets a smidgen easier. I would love to capture the gorgeousness of the woods in the bluebell season, so time to start practicing. This looks a whole lot better than the original – which is not saying a great deal. With my design background, I know how to get the best out of my scanner and how to tweak a bit in Photoshop. Unlike many other sketchbloggers who complain about their scanner and swear that the original has brighter, cleaner, truer colours, I’m afraid the opposite is true with me. What you get here is probably as good as it gets.

245mm x 170mm on Arches cold pressed paper

Walk Two Hundred and Eighty-Three – Same again

2007-02-02T20:09:00.000Z

I walked in the evening again today. My first drawing was of the garage and was hopeless because I was feeling too under the weather and too girly to manage drawing cars. Then I had very little time to do another drawing as the hungry hordes would not want the roast pork burnt. So a quick go at much the same as yesterday, but in pencil. Then I walked up to the bluebell wood and back.

On the way down I looked up at the sky and couldn’t work out why I couldn’t see the moon – there were lots of gaps between the clouds. And then I looked down the hill and saw the edge of a huge peach-coloured moon just beginning to rise above the dark, velvety fields trees and hedges. With the blue-grey sky and puffs of lilac cloud it was a wonderful sight to watch it slowly rise and gradually change to yellow. Why is this something I hardly ever see? Is it because I’m usually too distracted by the sunset to turn round and see the moon rise?

200mm x 145mm pencil in cartridge sketchbook

Walk Two Hundred and Eighty-Two – Evening walk to the Bluebell Wood

2007-02-01T18:31:00.000Z

Robin was working from home, and helped with the ferrying of the little Emperor, so I was able to enjoy a more rural walk than the nursery school walk. I know, I know, it’s pointless even attempting to convey the beauty of an evening sky. Maybe I should stick to drawing poo-bags.

200mm x 145mm watercolour in cartridge sketchbook

Walk Two Hundred and Eighty-one – Track up to Sirdane Kennels

2007-01-31T18:09:00.000Z

This is the sole building on the Woodland Park which I walked across at lunch as usual. A very quick little painting because of work pressures. Beautiful day.

200mm x 145mm in small cartridge sketchbook

Walk Two Hundred and Eighty – Feeling ill

2007-01-30T22:26:00.000Z

Last night I started a rotten cold, sore throat and fluey symptoms, so I picked this up on my walk back and forth over the woodland park and drew it in the comfort and warmth of home.

200mm x 145mm sepia pen in cartridge sketchbook

Walk Two Hundred and Seventy-Nine – The Bluebell Wood in the distance

2007-01-29T20:16:00.000Z

My walk across the Woodland Park and back was lovely today. The weather was mild, sunny and felt quite spring-like. I still have lots of design work to do, so I was also rather pleased at how quickly I produced this little painting. I suppose after a couple of years of sketch-blogging I ought to be getting to grips with being quick and decisive. Practice really makes a difference.

200mm x 145mm sepia pen and watercolour in small cartridge sketchbook

Walk Two Hundred and Seventy-Eight – Caps Cottages

2007-01-28T16:08:00.000Z

I didn’t really want to go out in the cold and wind but I dragged myself out. As happens so often with pleine aire, well laid plans went awry. I was planning a bigger painting in a watercolour block, but when I lifted the covering sheet I discovered that I hadn’t got round to taking out the previous painting and I had no scalpel, knife or credit card to slit the sheet, remove it and work on the next sheet. Fortunately this little sketchbook was also in my bag. It seems to me that adapatability is one of the important aspects of pleine aire work – either that or better organisation than I have.
200mm x 145mm pene and watercolour in small cartridge sketchbook

Walk Two Hundred and Seventy-Seven – Grey day

2007-01-27T17:59:00.000Z

All the men in the family, apart from Xavier, were off getting themselves a VHF radio operating licence today. Flo was doing homework and so to give her a bit of peace, Xavier and I went off for a walk and had fun clambering over the newly- fallen trees in the Bluebell Wood.

200mm x 145mm in pencil and watercolour in cartridge sketchbook

Walk Two Hundred and Seventy-Six – Two fields

2007-01-26T20:13:00.000Z

I was too busy with work to walk at lunch-time. Due to a client call I only had five minutes to make Xavier’s packed lunch of tuna-mayonnaise and cucumber sandwiches and natural yoghurt mixed with a little strawberry jam (together with the home-made strawberry yoghurt label that he likes me to draw and stick on the top!). We’ve re-arranged his timetable so he can take his lunchbox and go to lunch club once a week. So I was able to take a much shorter than usual lunch break, drop him off, get home, continue work and save my walk for the evening before making supper. Robin’s Auntie Di has been magnificent, helping out with driving broken-footed Hugo back and forth. Quite honestly I think this mile from home project has been great because the one way I can guarantee being able to draw without interruptions or demands from husband or one of the four children, is to get myself a mile away from home, out of earshot.
This was my second drawing en route to the bluebell wood. The first was a fairly dire attempt at one of the ‘pigs’ grazing in the fields.

200mm x 145mm pen in small cartridge sketchbook

Walk Two Hundred and Seventy-Five – Rufus on the move

2007-01-25T22:17:00.000Z

It was freezing cold today – after enjoying crunching through the layers of ice over the puddles in Pound Farm, Rufus and I had a quick walk up the track and round the Bluebell Wood while Robin picked up Xavier from nursery. Work pressures, time constraints and the extreme cold meant that these little sketches were done with a brushpen as we walked.

Brushpen in A5 sketchbook

Walk Two Hundred and Seventy-Four – What Xavier does at nursery

2007-01-24T23:39:00.000Z

Click on the picture if you want to see a bigger version. A real quickie as my workload this month is bigger than normal, and I’m having to do even more driving back and forth with my broken-footed son Hugo. I drew Xavier before the walk back home from the nursery. We woke up to a thin layer of snow this morning, which thrilled Xavier. He was very cross that he’d forgotten to take a carrot (for a nose) with him to nursery, but by lunch time the snow had disappeared so there were no snowmen to be seen.

Walk Two Hundred and Seventy-Three – Michelangelo couldn’t have done this

2007-01-23T19:50:00.000Z

You may think I’m getting a little big-headed when you read the title of this post, however as I took five minutes (yes that’s right five minutes – oh OK maybe seven minutes) to draw this with a pen, a waterbrush and a tiny set of watercolours, I reflected on how fortunate we are nowadays with the fantastic portable colour media that we have nowadays. To think that the great masters could only use colour for the fresco or the final painting, whereas I produced this as I walked down the path from the nursery, with an impatient Xavier and a conveniently black pair of trousers that I could wipe my waterbrush on as I changed colour. Think about that the next time you feel miserable about some aspect of living in the 21st century!

200mm x 145mm pen and watercolour in small cartridge sketchbook

Walk Two Hundred and Seventy-Two – Freezing night

2007-01-22T22:42:00.000Z

Due to the complicated arrangements around Hugo (my second son) breaking a bone in his foot yesterday it was impossible to walk during the day. I really wasn’t looking forward to walking a mile there and a mile back in the dark and freezing cold (the weather website I use say it’s -2°c and feels like -6°c). Anyway the first thing I did was very quickly sketch this detail of brickwork – and the first person who can tell me the location wins a prize.
Then up the farm track to beyond the Bluebell Wood. With the drawing out of the way I surprised myself by enjoying the walk. Alone in the dark, well wrapped up, looking at the stars. At the one mile point I looked back at the village lights and wondered how on earth my blogging friends Alison and Jana do such a good job of drawing night-time scenes, so for fun I blindly sketched and took notes of what I could see.
Then home, and as I walked through Pound Farm I saw out of the corner of my eye a zebra tethered up. A quick double-take and I realised it was a horse wearing a stripy coat. But I think I’m onto a great idea here. What do you think Penny? Wouldn’t it be a glorious sight to see a field of horses wearing zebra-striped coats rather than the dull green or brown ones they normally wear here.

Walk Two Hundred and Seventy-One – Chilly day

2007-01-21T15:12:00.000Z

This was going to be a bigger more detailed panorama, but the cold was really biting so I didn't carry the drawing over to the right-hand page. I do love this view back to the village with the Bluebell Wood in the distance.

195mm x 120mm pen and watercolour in large moleskine