Fell: dialectal British for high barren field
Most people in Lake District kept a separate pair of shoes for fell walking. Can you guess why?
To actually hike, one must first use a plane, then train and then rental car.
Arriving in London in the afternoon meant checking out Paddington and Victoria train stations - for the bear and history respectively, meeting a portraiture friend on the train platform, reuniting with my college magazine co-editor and long time friend before doing the tourist thing of visiting 221B Baker Street.
The Volunteer, the pub next door to Sherlock's allowed for a quick sketch and an opportunity to share my portfolio with the server who was an artist himself.
The right side of the screen is dedicated to paintings and photographs.
I did not fancy the many roundabouts.
That evening, I met John Malley, water advisor to the National Trust, a professional photographer and a watercolorist himself.
John's work often takes him to the local but now closed mine - Force Crag - a mine that was functional during world war II
The road to the mine was solitary, cold and wet. There was an eerie silence and gloom that I sense sometimes in temperate country side.
This was going to be a salient feature of lake district. Sheep.
Would you paint here?
We were going to hike up from lake Buttermere and around High Stiles.
First on my plate was to make friends with John's 3 border collies - Elkie, Paddy, and Mist. That was a breeze.
The brighter grass looks freshly mowed. The dark greens look like a soft thick velvet on top of the bright grass, set in large swatches.
Up close, the bracken (darker green) is tough vegetation, with a strong stalk and spiked leaves growing to a height that can easily hide children and sheep.
You would too.
Drawing inspiration from the hike and the drive from Buttermere through Honnister Pass and back to Keswick.
Climb Now was juried into 95th Open Water Juried Show hosted by Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour.
Sometimes, the drama owing to light and clouds is so strange that if one were to paint a true reflection of the scene, it would appear unreal on paper.
Despite the internal disappointment, I demonstrated a painting from Wasdale Head for California Watercolor Association on Nov 18, 2020 and will repeat it on December 13, 2020 for Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society.
Farms
The ears of the sheep are smitten every year, i.e. marked with color specific to each farmer.Allows for counting when the sheep are brought in for the winter. But this rare breed can stay out on the pastures through the winter.
The painting is ~3 full sheets wide
Some are available for purchase. The ones with a stronger personal connection will, stay cherished inside my sketchbooks - aka - the artist's temple.
Last but not the least, please acclimate yourself to John's fantastic photographs.
Without John's knowledge, willingness and love for watercolours, I wouldn't have had the chance to visit the lakes in such a wholesome way. I was in Lake District Monday through Wednesday and he took 2 days off. American work culture has us budgeting our 10 vacation days per year. Given that context, the week day tour of Lake District with constant stream of information was special. I was at the receiving end of much kindness in the Lake District.
P.S. If you go, you must visit Heaton Cooper Gallery in Grasmere.
To see paintings without storytelling click anywhere in this box.
There, each piece is available to look at a speed you want. Also, if you click " more info", you will jump to the shop for it.
Price Range $250 - $6000
All pieces $3000+ can avail of Framebridge framing and get the framed art shipped directly.
We can issue e-certificates with image of paintings you have purchased in case of frames arriving after Christmas/your special occasion.