The Arrival of Spring on Pigeon House Lane

30th April 2020 Jane Tomlinson

By Jane Tomlinson

30th April 2020 In About art, natural world

Pigeon House Lane is a short single-track sunken lane of less than a mile between Freeland and Church Hanborough in West Oxfordshire, and it’s where I live. During ‘lockdown’ we have walked down the lane and onwards into the fields practically every day for our permitted daily exercise, observing the tiny changes as spring progresses.

A series of paintings of the arrival of spring on Pigeon House Lane

The lane is too narrow for me to sit out and paint en plein air, and besides it’s not allowed during the pandemic. So I have been photographing things I see, committing them to paint back in the safety of the studio, working from photos and my memory of the feeling of it. I never intended to produce a series of paintings, but I have inadvertently done exactly that.

	Pigeon House Lane, Early April This painting is of the lane as it exits Freeland. In the first week of April the big trees’ leaves were still in bud, their branches bare. There was enough light filtering through to awaken the celandines in the deep verges. watercolour & acrylic inks – £165 digital image for one-off personal use – £35
	Cherry Tree on Pigeon House Lane At the foot of lane in the second week of April, midway between Freeland and Church Hanborough a cherry tree awoke and spilled its blousey blossoms across the lane. It smelled so sweet and the insects were buzzing, busy feeding on the nectar. watercolour & acrylic inks SOLD digital image for one-off personal use – £35
	April Garden In mid April, our garden looked gorgeous. At last the forget-me-nots and aubretia had their moment in the sun. Thrillingly, the kingcups (marsh marigolds) that my son planted in the pond last summer made their first appearance. The stone wall is the perimeter of our garden on Pigeon House Lane. watercolour & acrylic inks – £165 digital image for one-off personal use – £35
	Lilac on Pigeon House Lane In the third week of April in front garden of one of the houses as the lane exits Freeland, a magnificent deep purple lilac put on this marvellous display. Oh, the scent! watercolour & acrylic inks SOLD digital image for one-off personal use – £35
	Kissing trees on Pigeon House Lane In the last week of April, the trees on the lane are in leaf. Their branches now reach out to kiss each other, forming a tunnel, or a great leafy hug! I was intrigued by the dappled light filtering through, making stripes of shade across the lane. It is now that the beautiful cow parsley puts on the prettiest display. watercolour & acrylic inks SOLD digital image for one-off personal use – £35
	Cow parsley on Pigeon House Lane In early May, the verges are awash with cow parsley seeking patches of light in which to bloom. In this view I was seduced by the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ effect. acrylic inks – SOLD digital image for one-off personal use – £35
	May tree on Pigeon House Lane In early May, the hawthorn lights up the hedgerows with explosions of frothy blossom acrylic inks – £215 digital image for one-off personal use – £35

All paintings were made on handmade khadi paper, with acrylic inks and watercolour.

Digital images are available for you to print (for one-off personal use only) at a format and size of your choice using a company such as PhotoBox, Bonusprint, TruPrint and My Picture. Read more…

Please see my online exhibition for Artweeks