Hafod and Hydrangea

I managed to finish this soft pastel painting yesterday which I have had on my large standing easel for 2 months or so.Its a view of a pathway at the Hafod Estate looking into the sun.I'm so glad its now done;it feels good to finish what you started -eventually.I have worked on it a bit more since posting it on Flickr - the shading on the path and more detail in the stones-I tried not to put too much detail in though!

I'd also been working on this hydrangea study in the past week;the beautiful, luminous and fading colours;cool blues and dusky pinks with the umber, lacy, skeletal petals.I love Hydrangeas so much more in Autumn. The pink was Rhodonite by Daniel Smiths - A Primatek watercolour , which is very close to Quinacridone magenta but with a slightly darker,smoky hue.

Have a lovely weekend xxx

Autumn walks and sketches

This last week has been very difficult at work but its looking up now. I managed to get out to the Hafod and Cymystwyth arch woods to take photos,look for mushrooms and recharge energies.

The photo above is from the arch woods; the leaves are not quite autumn coloured yet.

Here's the snaking river Ystwyth at the Hafod estate.

I loved this trail of distant sheep!

Saw so many goldfinches tucking in to the thistle heads;There were many Jays too.

Heres the arch at Cymystwyth- built in 1810. The road used to go underneath but it has been bypassed now,to keep it stable.

Below are some fungi sketches ,just quick drawings with colour notes and written details in one of my sketchbooks.

 These are Hygrocybes from the Hafod fields drawn this week.

These are from this week too found at the arch woods.I'm not sure of the exact species names,just their genus' ,its so difficult to identify the species names.

Heres an old sketch from 2007 at the arch woods too.

Ceps,porcini or penny bun - Boletus edulis to be exact but highly edible; I found these and sketched in 2009,near the Ystwyth valley. They have a great velvety cap and white patterned stipe.

This is a really old drawing,watercolour and pen, a blushing bracket-from 2004 when I first started botanical art.

Lastly an old beech leaf  -  not had much time for the leaf challenge unfortunately.