My dog Rosie turned 12 today, so as a treat I took her to Bude in Cornwall.  There are beautiful sandy beaches and some lovely cliff top walks.  I didn't have long to sit still but I did do a five minute sketch of the view from the first cliff, West of the beach.  Its good to keep a small sketchbook with me as anything can catch my eye and inspire me.  Its also become a bit like a journal as I write thoughts and ideas as well.

         Here are two more miniature landscapes, the one on the left is based on Plymouth Dartmoor, a beautiful place that holds many special memories for me.  The second shell is based on another photograph taken in Wales.

        This is a watercolour painting of a beautiful flower called Gladioli, one of my favourite garden plants.  The colours are pale and I tried to represent the translucent petals.

     This is my second time to paint into a shell, this was based on a photograph that I took from a National Trust beach called Wembury, not to far from where I live.  I loved the rays of light in the evening sky and the rocks in the foreground.  I find going to the beach to be a very mindful experience.  I can leave the pressures and worries of the day at home and be in the fresh and expansive air.  I put the pen in the photo to illustrate the size of this particular painting.  I am enjoying painting on a small scale, its so different to working on a big canvas.