I’m very pleased to have a mention in The Gazette this week with regard to the North Devon Art Trek 2019. Please check out their site and see what North Devon has to offer. I was so pleased with last year’s open studio weeks that I shall be doing the same this year. Al
Tag Pilton Village
Spring Sunshine.
Spring sunshine at last but with a little warmth. An evening walk around Pilton in North Devon, England. Still a bite to the breeze but the promise of summer heat is on the way. Al
Pilton fields.
Just a couple of pastel sketches. Middle sketch of Manning’s Pit including pig nuts & buttercups. The other is a copy off Pinterest of an artist whose signature I can’t read. Just playing for a few hours to loosen up my usual way of working. Al
ps The artist is John Singer Sargent.
Save Manning’s Pit!
A few pictures of a wonderful area close to where I live called Manning’s Pit. I live in a village called Pilton, North Devon. Nearby is a wonderful stretch of water and woodland called Manning’s Pit. This is under threat of development for a housing estate. The people who intend this are property speculators, who like elsewhere, and have no sympathy for the local’s wishes. We have grown up and played in these fields. Our children have grown up and played in these fields and the area is a great community asset. Please visit the Save Manning’s Pit page of Facebook and follow the directions to post a protest vote. Please save Manning’s Pit! Al
Going To The Reform.
Painted using hand ground Bideford Black. Took this on my mobile on the way to the Reform Inn Pilton. Just the usual Friday night of real ale. (370mm x 390mm).
Diggin’ For Pignuts.
Well this evening my son and I decided to go out for a walk and dig for some Pignuts. Finding them was quite easy amongst the buttercups. With the use of a sharp stick my son Archie dug around the stem to tease out the root ball and pignut. A very successful evening’s foraging. Pignuts taste rather like hazelnut crossed with a carrot with a slight hint of hotness. Better than watching the TV or the Laptop. AL
Pignuts & Buttercups.
Quite a surprise today no rain, as promised, so a walk up to Manning’s Pit and Bradiford Water in the sunshine. Buttercups were flowering and was informed that in this valley there are three different kinds. White Pignut flowers were also out and with a sharp stick I dug up some pignuts and after a quick wash in the fresh water they tasted delicious. I was also informed that Shakespeare wrote in The Tempest “I prithee, let me bring thee where crabs grow; and I with my long nails will dig thee pignuts” .
Also in Treasure island. “Dig away, boys,” said Silver with the coolest insolence; “you’ll find some pig-nuts and I shouldn’t wonder.”
All in all another idyllic day Al.
Pannier Market Pigeons.
Pigeons feeding on grain in Barnstaple’s famous Pannier Market. (380mm X 560mm) Acrylic & pastel pencil. I loved they way the summer sun shone though an open door onto the market’s floor tiles. North Devon. Al
Al Brown Multimedia Artist. 