Abstracting Bowberhead

While at Bowberhead, I did a quick concertina sketchbook Click here to see them. I then decided to do a larger scale version of one of the images, trying to retain the looseness. 

Detail.

Gelli printing on fabric

Inspired by my recent trip to Bowberhead nature reserve, I have been playing around with stencils that I made based on Yellow Rattle. These were used with Golden Open Acrylics and a touch of textile medium to print with a Gelli Plate, onto fabric. The first three inages are using my smaller 6 inch square plate nad the last four are using my big A3ish plate. I now need to work out how to make them into a cushion ..

Bowness Common Lichens

 A cracking afternoon on Bowness Common, with Dad, looking at lichens.

Dad on Bowness Common looking at lichens.

Cross-leaved heath and White Beak-sedge.

Cladonia portentosa - a common peatland lichen.

Cladonia portentosa - an unusual distorted and inflated form sometimes found on peat bogs....not very common at all. 

The tiny black dots with pale halos of Mycoglaena myricae are only found on Bog Myrtle.

Possibly a species of Lecanora. 

This clump of dead birch trees provided a home for some spectacularly abundant lichens.

A variety of common bark species, mainly Parmelias (the 'leaf-like ones) and Evernia prunastri (the strap-shaped one). A superb display.

Mostly Evernia prunastri.

Pamelia sulcata (fertile - hence the 'jam tart' fruiting bodies).

Dove Cottage visit

As part of my work with the Wordsworth Trust, we went down to Dove Cottage to learn about the garden, it's historical significance and how it has been replicated. After a fascinating talk by gardener and plant historian, Jane Roberts, we looked around the garden and discussed the natural and romantic planting schemes; how the garden wouldn't have any 'official' boundaries like a wall and how Wordsworth valued the more common plants despite them being regarded as of lower 'class'. 

The morning was damp and that led me to go off on a photographic tangent while listening to Jane....hence many photos! 

On returning inside, we were able to examine the different floras in the Wordsworth Trust collection, seeing how they have evolved into the modern floras that we are familiar with. The 'show' though was totally stolen, in my opinion, by seeing the book that William Wordsworth had given to his niece in 1841, that she had pressed labelled named samples Cumbrian mosses and ferns into ....

In the afternoon we wrote and sketched ....quality time!

Demonstrating acrylics and pastels en plein air - in the drizzle. 

Screen Printing Experiments

I have always wanted ot have a go at screen printing, ever since I was a child, but have never had the space to make it worthwhile investing in the equipment. Earlier in the week a friend let me play - it was great fun and the comparisons to gelli printing on fabric were interesting ....anyway a few photos...

I based my design on yellow rattle/hay rattle as I had made stencils for my visit and demonstrations of gelli printing at Bowberhead last week; it was a shame not to use  them again ...

I hope to do a few more! 

High Brown Fritillaries - Whitbarrow

It was fantastic to see so many High Brown Fritillaries on Whitbarrow, bit imposssibe to get really good photographs as they were flying so quickly in the heat. 

Whitbarrow's orchids

 The Broad-leaved helleborines weren't out, but the dark-red helleborines were bob on!

The cool of the woodland on the way up the scar ...and the Broad-leaved helleborines were in bud.

One of many photos of the Dark-red Helleborines ...and below....

Whitbarrow NNR

In the heat ...a trip up Whitbarrow ....given the weather it was just like being in Spain! So here are a few landscape shots before the blogs for orchids and butterflies.

Looking up at theScar.

Across Morecambe Bay.

It was very dry on the top! 

Into Central Lakes with the Langdales showing nicely at the right hand side. 

Panorama.

Harebells.

Thyme and Lady's Bedstraw.