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.
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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. watercolour & acrylic inks – £165 |
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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. watercolour & acrylic inks SOLD |
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April Garden
In mid April, our garden looked gorgeous. At last the forget-me-nots and aubretia had their moment in the sun. watercolour & acrylic inks – £165 |
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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. watercolour & acrylic inks SOLD |
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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! watercolour & acrylic inks SOLD |
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Cow parsley on Pigeon House Lane
In early May, the verges are awash with cow parsley seeking patches of light in which to bloom. acrylic inks – SOLD |
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May tree on Pigeon House Lane
In early May, the hawthorn lights up the hedgerows with explosions of frothy blossom acrylic inks – £215 |
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