Burford On A Clear Winter Morning

Up the Hill, oil on canvas, 9x12in

Down the Barn's Lane, oil on canvas, 12x16in

Morning Sun on High Street, oil on canvas, 9x12in

Sunrise in Wychwood Forest

Sunrise in Wychwood Forest, oil on canvas, 12x16in

Capturing Evening Light

Edge of the Woods, Leafield, oil on canvas, 12x16in

Evening Hour, Leafield, oil on canvas, 9x12in SOLD

Lime Trees Avenue, Shipton-under-Wychwood, oil on canvas, 15x10in

Morning Sun

Quite often the best light for painting in England are those 2-3 hours after sunrise. The air is clean, the colours vivid and the shapes of light and shadow are very interesting. After that a blanket of shapeless, milky clouds usually covers the sky and the light changes dramatically from crisp to softer and pearly. These brief hours in the morning are perfect to paint the buildings, especially made of light stone.

Morning Sun, oil on canvas, 9x12in

Last golden leaves

Willows, Windrush River, oil on canvas, 9x12in

We have it easy this year - almost end of October and temperatures around 15-17 C. But some trees, like this willow on the bank of River Windrush near Burford, decided that's enough and it's time to shed the leaves. I love painting leafless trees, love the twisted shapes and rich colors of mosses and fungi on the bark. Here also added bonus of some golden, soon to fall down completely, leaves.

Blue doors

One of the walking paths around Swinbrook leads through the ancient village of Widford. Some of the cottages there, I am guessing owned by the same person, have window frames and doors (and a clock) painted in a most peculiar shade of blue, I would say a mix of cobalt blue and cadmium lemon. The color is very unusual for Cotswold buildings, where most often the woodwork is painted in a muted grey-greenish tone. But I liked this electric blue and it inspired me to set up my easel against the light, with the scene framed by strong yellows of semi-transparent leaves.

After Rain, oil on canvas, 9x12in

For those of you interested in a traditional Cotswold architecture there is a short but very informative brochure prepared by Cotswold District Council in 2000, titled "The Cotswold Design Code" link to pdf, 1.3 MB.

On the Edge of Foxholes Nature Reserve

Red Roofs, oil on canvas, 9x12in

Around 5 miles south-west of Chipping Norton lies Foxholes Nature Reserve, a woodland and meadows area, once part of an ancient Wychwood Forest. The best time to visit is Spring, when parts of the reserve are smothered with bluebells. But for painting purposes other seasons are equally if not more interesting; I especially enjoy painting there in late autumn and winter. Autumn barely started here and I wasn't in a mood for all-green painting, so I set up my easel on an abandonend farm at the edge of the reserve. I was especially interested in the visual interaction of three red roofs and the shadows.