Early Autumn Signs

Hawthorn Berries

In Autumn Hedgerow

Morning walks take on a whole new meaning as the first signs of Autumn begin to appear. In the lanes where I walk Bailey, my Bearded Collie, each day blackberries are already ripe.  Branches are heavily laden with hawthorn berries and rosehips in gorgeous rich hues are impossble for an artist who loves colour to ignore. I keep saying that Spring  is my favourite season because I  love painting the first flowers that appear each year.These are swiftly followed by Summer blossoms when painting in sunshine is always sheer bliss.

But there really is something very special about Autumn. I have always felt like a child again picking fruit with the best, for some reason, always being just out of my reach on the very top branches. Last year in one country lane the hedgerow looked beautifully red and purple  in the distance. Through the mist, one morning, tiny clusters of berries glistened with morning dew.

These emotions I try to capture in each new piece.

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Readers of my new book "Atmospheric Watercolours" will see how I have painted rosehips,hawthron and blackeberries in different sections. Look out for the chapters on "Energy Washes" and "Textural Washes".