After an enjoyable visit to the quiet Buck’s Mills in North Devon I have decided on this composition. This view is from the stony beach at half tide, I especially liked the exposed and reflective rock pools there. Al
BUCK’S MILLS
Tag South West Coast Path
BUCK’S MILLS
Today I’ve spent time sketching at Buck’s Mills on the North Devon Coast. Such a peaceful place to make five minute pen sketches sitting in the warmth of the sun. I love this time of year when the flowers are in full colour and there’s a sprinkling of Cow Parsley everywhere. The sketches will hopefully be used in a forthcoming painting. Al
COMBE MARTIN
A night spent at the Sandy Cove Hotel. As you can see a wonderful stretch of the North Devon coastline where kayaking and paddle boarding is a must. In these pictures you can see the village of Combe Martin with some of the highest cliffs in England including Little Hangman and in behind Great Hangman. In fact Great Hangman has the highest cliff face in England at 800 high, with a summit at 1,043 feet, making it the highest point on the South West Coast Path.
SURFING AT SAUNTON
Framed and in a new home. An old pastel sketch of people enjoying the surf at Saunton Sands as the tide goes out! I love how the water leaves that glasslike appearance on the sand. The reflections are often breathtaking!
JAR OF HEARTS
My wife and I often search for Seaglass on trips to our local beaches in North Devon and sometimes we fine heart shaped glass! This is a special jar of the hearts we’ve found so far! ♥️
HOUSEL COVE
Housel Cove on The Lizard off to a new home. I’ve visited this cove many times and it’s amazing how it changes from low and high tide and through the seasons. At times it’s just a rocky gap which opens to the sea for cold water swimmers and at other times it’s a sand covered secret beach! The sand moves with time and the seasons and erases all of the footprints of the year! Al
CROW POINT SKETCH
An exercise in not over working and titavating with a painting. This is about two hours work and the speed of paint application certainly concentrates the mind and eye. This is Crow Point on a typical mixed weather day with the evening primrose sprinkling the beachside. There are always some great cloud formations here over Appledore in the distance!
WESTWARD HO
This is a painting from a while ago of my twins, wife and friends on Westward Ho Beach. I was taken by the glassy reflections on the wet beach from a recent tide and in the distance, across the estuary, is the famous Saunton Sands Hotel. This image has been created using watercolour, pastels and acrylic paint now in a new frame and double mount!
SAUNTON SANDS
Saunton Sands painted on Bockingford paper using natural pigments found at Fremington Quay in North Devon. Amongst the rocks and strata at Fremington are various pigments including the usual Bideford Black, which I usually get from Greencliff at Abbotsham, a blackish colour called Poor Man’s Coal, Yellow Ochre, Burnt Umber, White Clay and Grey. I collect these pigments for further preparation where I finely ground them and use them for my paintings!
LEE ABBEY
A return to an old view, that of Lee Abbey as seen from the cliffs above Heddon’s Mouth. You can just see the white speck in the distance reflecting the Abbey’s walls. On warm summer days it’s wonderful to sit here with a picnic looking at the sea and coastal views! Al
Al Brown Artist. 