Bracken, East Yorkshire.

27th January 2020.

Oil on deep edge canvas, 24 x 18 inch

Now for sale £250

Today the weather was much better, that is, it was'nt raining, though bright, the temperature felt much colder due to a high wind. So I drove out to Bracken again to this high spot.

On the way  I passed one or two kestrels hovering, still and stationary, wind hovers, looking for food in the hedges. At one time I saw the large angular shape of an unusually low flying, red kite. It flew down, to almost ground level, below the height of the low hedges, and danced on the air above some white wintered grass, before rising to settle on the hedge.

I sketched out this view last October, in fact the 31st. and wanted to add colour. Of course the field colours are a little different, the sky completely different. I set up the French easel in the tremendous wind which blew hard, then a gust sent tubes of paint flying into the tufted, wet, muddy grass. The palette and everything was a bit of a mess but I collected it all up and weighted down the easel, then started to paint. The canvas kept flapping about and I was facing the Sun which meant having to cover the back of the canvas with a cleaning rag. It worked out very well and the wind even dropped a little bit. A farmer (JB) stopped to have a chat, he is from a nearby farm and we talked about painting, how he had started painting with acrylics. I admired one of his paintings of a Lake District bridge. My frozen hands were telling me to stop and head for the Pipe and Glass for a warming soup. Though I need to add minor building details, that is ...windows, I stopped painting, and packed up with difficulty due to having numb fingers.

Suddenly, driving past Lund, a huge deer
Crossed the road in front of the car, 

Too close to avoid a collision,  

Yet somehow we managed
To counter contact, and as

It crossed the road, it

Cleared a hedge, to safety.
It's signaling,
distinctive,
white rump,
vanishing.

Time stood still, 

I could see a black shiny nose,

It’s short  horns, and as

Our eyes stared, 

Perhaps glared,
At each other,
We became

Pupils of avoidance.

I drove round to the Pipe and Glass via Home on the Wolds only to be disappointed because I’d forgotten that they are closed on Mondays. So rushed back to Beverley and visited Carluccio‘s for a soup and coffee ,

hope you like the picture.

Happy painting