Memories of Landscapes Past

I don’t usually choose to sketch, draw or paint landscapes, unless they feature wildlife. On this occasion I was drawn to the beautiful countryside that surrounds West Dean Gardens. I am by no stretch of the imagination a landscape artist, but the familiarity of the parkland and the seductive flow of the River Lavant urged me to put pen and pastel to paper.

The outskirts of Chichester were once all too familiar to me and even though many years have past; I still have an abiding affection for that part of the country.

It’s quite a different experience sketching or painting a scene, which actually stays still! It’s rather lovely not to be frantically scribbling whilst staring through binoculars, not really looking down at what you are producing. It felt far more relaxing and therapeutic to just sit and draw. I even had a proper chair and table to work at, which are luxuries I never normally have access to.

So I suppose the change of subject matter was a welcome one, especially as I could sit in relative comfort.

Back to perching on mossy logs, wooden posts, or standing in amongst brambly tangles, holly bushes and hedgerows. Heaven!