Second bite of the cherry . . .

Cherry Blossom II
mixed media watercolour by Teresa Newham

The cold weather continued right to the end of March this year, with snow on the ground in the South of England barely a fortnight before Easter.  The few blossoms which had dared to emerge on my neighbour's tree froze in the chilly wind.

this year's blossom
© Teresa Newham

The blossom is fully out now; perhaps not as spectacular as in some years, but still providing a welcome splash of colour as the gardens recover from what one of my friends described as "eternal winter".

the original Cherry Blossom watercolour
© Teresa Newham

That tree has inspired a couple of paintings in its time: last year it was a mixed media watercolour Flowering Cherry, and a couple of years before that a pen and wash called simply Cherry Blossom.

brightening up the background
© Teresa Newham

My favourite painting is always the next one, so when I do look back at my old work, I'm often pleasantly surprised.  Not with Cherry Blossom, however - it's never felt quite right - and once Flowering Cherry was finished, I knew it needed a re-think.

emphasising the foreground
© Teresa Newham

This year I embarked upon whole series of renovated watercolours, of which Cherry Blossom II is the latest: washed off and reinvigorated with Permanent Alizarin Crimson, Permanent Sap Green and metallic copper ink, and remounted. And at last I can say I'm happy with it!

revitalised painting in new mount
© Teresa Newham

A walk in the park

January frosts
© Teresa Newham

#HertsOpenStudios is less than four weeks away, and I should be in a frenzy of mounting and framing the various pieces I've made over the last twelve months, ready to exhibit.  Instead, I've been trawling through old photos and collating them for a piece I've called All the year round in Rothamsted Park.

Spring bulbs
© Teresa Newham

The idea began in September 2013, when I found myself wandering through the sun-dappled park at nine in the morning - a time when I would have normally been on the train to work.  Revelling in my newly-retired freedom, I began taking photos in the park whenever I had a spare few minutes.

trees in full Summer
© Teresa Newham

I soon discovered that the park has a regular rhythm of its own - as well as the changing seasons, the view is determined by the time of day - you can be elbow to elbow with joggers and dog walkers one minute, and disconcertingly all on your own the next - at least, it seems that way until the next person appears round the bend or at the top of the hill!

fallen leaves in Autumn
© Teresa Newham

Over the last few years, Rothamsted Park has been the source of several photos for the calendars I make as Christmas presents, various sketches, and one watercolour, which comes close to saying what I felt about the park that September morning without in any way excluding the possibility of making more paintings, perhaps of the park at a different time of year.

mysterious mist
© Teresa Newham

I've enjoyed putting together this montage of the park in all its glory all the year round, and I hope that visitors to my studio will enjoy it, too.  In the meantime, I have work to do.  I've just given myself something extra to frame, after all!

All the year round in Rothamsted Park
© Teresa Newham

#HertsOpenStudios runs from Saturday 9th September - Sunday 1st October 2017.  Full details of participating artists and studio opening times can be found here.

A walk round the corner - November, December, January

the first field - November 2013
© Teresa Newham

So - time for an update on how we're getting on with our regular countryside walks, as published on this blog in October! We managed to ignore our own advice in November and set off without wellies.  Must admit, we nearly turned back when we saw the state of the first field, all churned up by the horses hooves . . .

the old oak - November 2013
© Teresa Newham

. . .  but we managed to navigate the mud and make it across to the next lane, which runs between the two fields.  The hedgerows were full of bronze ferns and there were still some leaves clinging to the oak tree at the far end of the first  field.

last of the ferns - November 2013
© Teresa Newham

Everything had gone a bit straggly and muddy at the entrance to the second field, but the trees still appeared to have their leaves, which were just on the turn:

the second field - November 2013
© Teresa Newham

By the time we took our December walk (wearing those wellies!)  it was a little drier underfoot and we were able to appreciate the last of the Autumn colours along the railway line:

the first field - December 2013
© Teresa Newham

The old oak was practically bare by now and when the sun disappeared behind the clouds I thought we'd had the best of the light . . .

the old oak - December 2013
© Teresa Newham

. . .  but when we got out into the lane between the two fields the sun came out again and lit up the trees beautifully (we'd walked a little further than usual and found some lovely woods).

last of the leaves - December 2013
© Teresa Newham

To our surprise we found catkins at the entrance to the second field - I hadn't realised that some trees and bushes carry them in winter!

the second field - December 2013
© Teresa Newham

It's been so wet recently that I wondered if we'd make it over the first field during January; yesterday's hard frost encouraged us to try a morning walk, and we weren't the only ones, as these dog-walkers prove . . .

the first field - January 2014
© Teresa Newham

It was bitterly cold; the puddles were frozen and frost was still clinging to the grass and to the foliage in the hedges:

frosted leaves - January 2014
© Teresa Newham

The oak tree is completely bare now.  You really get to see a tree in winter, and this one is spectacular!

the old oak - January 2014
© Teresa Newham

We made it as far as the second field and went a little way down the lane - more sheltered than the fields, there was less frost here.  And as we walked back the remaining frost was melting almost before our eyes.

the second field - January 2014
© Teresa Newham

The next installment of this photo diary is due in April.  Which should mean Spring - shouldn't it? we'll have to wait and see!