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A mini series
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Message
Posted
MNo not a mini series of posts, some time ago I was chatting with Alan B about a painting I was doing at the time , he suggested doing a mini series on the theme. I have thought about it for a while and decided to have a go a doing a series of paintings base on Pulpit Hill in Buckinghamshire, I chose this location as I spent ten years working on the hill and surrounding chalk grasslands.
Initially I stared keeping the footpaths and bridlepath clear of young saplings etc . I then set up a d lead a team to remove the thousands of ash saplings that were covering the ancient hill fort , I’m not exaggerating the amount of ash saplings. We use these to create a wicker fence around the hillfort to protect it from bikes and pedestrians causing damage to the rampart etc . Well thst eith bored you or se t you to sleep no doubt , it’s a long windy way of explaining why I chose the hill.
My first painting g is of part of the bridle way at the bottom of the hill, I’ve set this in autumn to show the colour of the beech trees that are the main species of tree on the him and in the Chilterns in general.
Preliminary sketches to start with it’s from one I did years ago, I will include a couple of photos take about ten years ago .
Photos not of the area I’m painting.
Photos not of the area I’m painting.Edited
by Paul (Dixie) Dean
Posted
Your story didn't bore me at all, far from it. We don't realize how much work goes into protecting ancient monuments and landscape, or I don't: I'd probably have moaned at you for clearing all those nice saplings... we're a bit paranoid about trees around here: their roots are all that's stopping our homes from galloping merrily down the cliff in many cases.
That quite magnificent tree in your photograph is one you've shown before, I think you were offering it as a subject for any of us brave enough to tackle it, and here you are tackling it yourself - that's going to be a real challenge in any medium: maybe particularly so in watercolour. You won't be bored, I know that..
Posted
Thank you Alan and Robert it’s nice to have your comments and encouragement at the start of this project, I started it last week and have moved on quite a lot doing my short stints of work and rest .
The next two stages in the process it here that I decided to do the scene in autumn colours as the trees are particularly magnificent at that time of year plus I like the challenge it offers .
I will give a bit of background history as I progress on the left side slope there were five very old beech trees , unfortunately all went down in one stormy day, tube hill is actually eight hundred feet of chalk that was originally seabed the top soil is around one to three feet at the most .
Posted
Bit more added , the reason the track looks a blue grey is to reflect the chalk colour, where it’s worn and stripped back it has the colour of concrete at times . It become almost impossible to walk on it when it’s really wet as it gets incredibly slippery and sticks like glue to everything, even the Land Rovers with all terrain types have problems get a grip sometimes, . The pathway up the bank is where pedestrians have tried to avoid the stick bit , unfortunately it also get slippery on that slope . I was working a bit further up the track one day when a lady appeared dressed in a fantastic designer tracksuit very bright pink , with matching trainers, I advised her that it was risky and particularly without decent boots etc , her reply was I thing I know what I’m doing. Five minutes later walking back to her very nice care she passed me and said don’t say a thing, her back was covered from heat to toe in slimy goo, couldn’t het the ooh dear , boot’s might have been the best thing to wear.
Posted
Pride goeth before a fall - and it can be highly amusing when it does, unless you're the one whose pride was dented of course. I can picture it now - "I think I know what I'm doing..... waaah!" slip, crash, crunch: oh most satisfying. And you managed not to say "serve you right, you haughty old Wotsit!", which is probably more than I would have managed. Tee hee.... sometimes, I suspect myself of having a malicious streak....
Posted
Paul, I'm another one who is really enjoying seeing you progress this painting, and hearing about the background as to why you chose that location, and the huge amount of work done there. Your ash saplings sound like our wilding pines. I'm glad you're going with autumn colours, they're just glorious (autumn is my favourite season, more settled weather and those wonderful colours). So looking forward to seeing further progress.
I was interested in Robert's comment too. We have issues here in Christchurch with mature trees being bowled by property developers. In our case it is the leaf canopy keeping the city cooler than it would be otherwise, and concrete doesn't do much to help mitigate flooding.
Posted
We never removed a tree or even a branch off a tree without it was necessary, the ash saplings were killing off the understory, wild flowers etc and were starting to chock each other . The roots we’re getting into the remaining structures of the fort and causing damage that let water in that froze and broke up the surface, whist removing them it was discovered that they had ash dieback . This was spreading all all of the country due to the highways departments buy in cheap ash saplings from abroad that were contaminated, it was advised to burn the saplings or store them on site as it’s an ancient monument we couldn’t burn on site nor transport it away, that is one of the reasons I used it to fence off the actual fort area .
Edited
by Paul (Dixie) Dean
Posted
“Thank you Denise , I did the work at the time as it gave me a lot of pleasure and after retiring sone to do , yiu very rarely think of the long term effect you are having on the scene but it rewarding when you do.
I’ve done a quite a lot more since last posting and will bring it almost up to date . I’ve always wondered what the stile was placed where it is , just over the stile it’s such a steep slope no one use it fir veer of falling , rumour is that it was put on the plans by someone who never visited the site and the contact just went ahead and built it .
Edited
by Paul (Dixie) Dean
Posted
So we move on to the right side of the painting, it’s this side I’m more concerned about working on due to the density of the trees . The dark green is three very big old Yew trees, it’s thought they are remnants of the old ancient woodland that originally stood here , along what was originally the road from lower in the valley. The road way leads up to the roadway from Kimble to joint the road to Great Missenden, the new road is lower down the slope and follows this trackway fit most of its course. All roads were higher up hills as the lower ones tended to flood and get boggy, cattle and sheep would have been driven along this monks bridge path form off the Ridgeway that runs nearby. The light area on the tree on the left is where squirrels have stripped the bark, fortunately not all the was around the trunk as this would kill the tree.
Boy don’t I rabbit on , shut up and post the picture.
Posted
Just wanted to add that this is really interesting Paul. I love these subjects and know parts of the Ridgeway but not so much the Chilterns. Its great to see your work developing.
PS I get Ash saplings in my garden, plus Holly and Hawthorn! It doesn't take a massive stretch of the imagination to think how nature would reclaimed land if humans were not around. Though there would be a battle with introduced species I suppose.