Delamere Forest

The winter colours of the forest are beautiful. Delamere Forest in Cheshire is a lovely place to go walking. I visit the forest more often in the winter than the summer. The forest is a very popular place and is a little quieter in the winter months.

I always find when I go for a long walk that it helps to concentrate my mind on finding solutions to any painting problems I am having. 

There is nothing quite like walking in a forest.

Travelling Studio

Caravan holidays are great, I pack up my studio and take it with me. When I am painting the board is propped against the table so it is at an angle. 

The picture on the easel at the moment is in its very early stages. It is a Maidenhair spleenwort growing in the cracks of a wall. 

The light in the caravan is excellent as there are many windows, but at night I use an extra daylight bulb.

The paint trays are packed away flat and protected with a piece of cardboard. Everything is stowed away into a cupboard.

The advantage with the travelling studio is it usually has beautiful views ready to paint from the window.

Sea Holly and Bee

This is one of my latest paintings. 'Sea Holly and Bee'. It was painted using watercolour and gouache. 

I like really complicated and detailed pictures and this was definitely one of them. The flower was complicated and the bee was complicated, maybe I should paint something a little simpler next time!

The bee was actually on the flower when I took the photograph, but it would not perform well and kept moving into an awkward position. I based the bee on another photograph of mine. Ironically when I took that photograph I was not even looking for a bee and there it was in a perfect pose.

Maybe I should forget about insects and stick to my flowers, at least they don't fly away.

For more info visit my website www.sarahwoodart.com

Ness Botanic Gardens

Some views of my favourite Gardens, Ness Botanic Gardens on the Wirral. I love my visits here. I am lucky enough to be a friend of the Gardens so I get to go as often as I like in the year.

As a botanical Artist it is perfect for me to follow the changing seasons in the gardens. There are interesting subjects all year round. My favourite place in the gardens is the pine wood. It is so peaceful and quiet.

It is amazing how many of my paintings are based on photographs and sketches I have taken in the Gardens.

For more info visit my website www.sarahwoodart.com

Plantago lanceolata

I decided to paint a magnified version of my specimen of Plantago lanceolata so I could show the beauty and structure of the plant.

It is a rosette forming perennial herb. The leaves are long, narrow and veined. The stems are silky, hairy and carry a single dark and dense many-flowered head. The small flowers have four white sepals with a brown keel in the centre of each, and four brownish petals. The long stamens are pale yellow or white. Each flower lies behind a tiny greenish bract. Its seeds have an absorbent coat, which becomes sticky when wet. The seeds then stick to animal or human feet and can be carried over long distances.

Children today still loop the stalk round the flower head and fire it. This is a game that has been played for centuries.

Ribwort also has many medicinal uses. It is used to treat colds, coughs, bronchial inflammation, also an antidote for bites and insect stings.

Info about original painting visit sarahwoodart.com

Rhododendron moupinense

I came across this Rhododendron at Ness Botanic Gardens on the Wirral. I thought the pattern of the shape of buds and leaves covered with raindrops looked beautiful and would make a good painting. It is painted in watercolour and gouache, I decided to leave the background in pencil to enhance the shape and pattern of the foliage.

Rhododendron moupinense is a species native to Western Sichuan, China, and is named after the district of Moupin. In 1909 E.H. “Chinese” Wilson first introduced it into cultivation. He was a well known English plant collector and introduced about 2000 Asian plant species to the West, sixty bear his name.

Rhododendron is one of the most common evergreen shrubs to have been introduced to Britain. It adapts well to a variety of soils and situations. It can also survive in very shady places under trees. It spreads freely by seed and is difficult to eradicate.

Rhododendron moupinense has rich glossy green leaves and it bears flowers which are pink very early in the spring.

Rotary Club of North Wirral

I have some paintings in an Art Exhibition which is being organised by the Rotary Club of North Wirral. It is being held at Carr Farm Garden Centre. From Tuesday 9th to Sunday 14th August. Tues-Sat 9-5 Sun 10-2.30. There will be over 400 paintings by local artists. It sounds like fun.