Hampshire Walking Series

This past year my other half Craig and I have been exploring our home county of Hampshire by taking walks in the countryside inspired by an AA walking guide book. I like to take photographs on our walks and one day decided to draw from a photograph I'd taken on a walk near Hartney Wintney. The drawing was similar in composition to the WSA Window View drawings I did on my MA and I loved how drawing from the photograph brought back memories from the walk. I decided to title the drawing based on the guide books walk title with the date of the original walk. 

Adventures in the Candovers - 17th October, 20.5cm x 20.5cm, pen on paper.

I chose another photograph to work from, this time from a walk by Basingtoke Canal. I cropped the photograph down quite drastically and once the drawing was complete it resembled a topographical landscape or a map.

Odiham and the Basingstoke Canal - 7th June, 20.5cm x 20.5cm, pen on paper

I've continued to draw using photographs from our walks, each one is different in its composition, a swirl of autumn leaves, a straightforward view of a bluebell wood. During the earlier walks we took before the project I didn't photograph as much and therefore finding an image to turn into a drawing will be tricky however the challenge will hopefully add variety to the drawings with unconventional views and different subject matter for me to tackle.

Whitchurch and the River Test - 21st February, 20.5cm x 20.5cm, pen on paper. 

In the guide book, each walk has a story written about it, a brief history of the area or an interesting anecdote. One of the walks we did encompasses a monument where it is said a murder took place by a King, another took in beautiful scenery right by where Jane Austen lived. By following these routes I'm learning little pieces of history and drawing from the walk documents these places, cementing them in my memory. 

Jane Austen's Chawton - 4th May, 20.5cm x 20.5cm, pen on paper.

There are 50 walks to tackle including some on the Isle of Wight and I hope to draw from each walk we take, perhaps one day I'll complete the book and move onto another county. 

I'm tweeting and posting Instagram progress images of you'd like to follow along - Claire_Leanne88 on both.  

Dubrovnik, Montenegro and Mostar

I took a week out to visit Croatia with my mum. We stayed in Plat, a small village on the coast just south of Dubrovnik. Three days were spent in Dubrovnik's historic old town, surrounded by the city walls, with marble streets and gorgeous architecture. We walked along the city walls and took the cable car to see fantastic panoramic views of the Croatian coast, Dubrovnik and Lokrum Island. On one afternoon while caught in a downpour we visited the Rectors Palace and sought refuge in churches and restaurants. 

From Dubrovnik's City Walls

We decided on a day trip to see Montenegro, crossing the border and receiving a stamp in our passports we explored a new country, stopping at Kotor and Budva. Kotor was beautiful, a walled town by water. We climbed to a church on a hill to see views over the town, as we reached the church bells rang in the distance and then right by our heads. After a stormy day in Dubrovnik the day before, Montenegro offered us brilliant sunshine.  

Kotor

Another of our days was filled reaching Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Due to the geography of the countries, we crossed borders several times before reaching Medjugorje. Once in Mostar we wandered past shops selling trinkets to the bridge where locals jump once they've been paid enough Euros. On one side of the Neretva river the people are Catholic and there is a huge cross on the hillside, on the other side the people are Muslim and there we heard the call to prayer. 

Mostar

It's not often that on a week long holiday you can explore three different countries, or at least sample a little of what each has to offer. Despite having a full time office job I'm happy to retain the adventurous spirit by travelling when I can, and I'm grateful for a mum that is happy to be adventurous with me. 

The English Lakes

I indulged my love of the countryside by spending a week in the Lake District in August with family. 

Derwent Water

I've been inspired by landscape for as long as I can remember and my art practice has always involved landscape in one way or another. Being surrounded by such beauty for a week was obviously inspirational. The long walks cleared my mind, I always do my best thinking when I'm walking in the fresh air.

From Cat Bells

We walked miles. Up and over Cat Bells, up Helm Crag in the rain, to the top of Orrest Head overlooking Windermere. We saw Tarn Hows on a ten mile walk from Coniston and did a seven mile walk near Elterwater. The miles kept adding up and so did the sense of accomplishment. 

Near Elterwater

​I can understand why so many creatives spent so much of their time here, Beatrix Potter and William Wordsworth to name just two. 

Hundreds of photographs were taken, with every few paces there was a new perspective that I had to capture. Even with the DSLR around my neck I still made sure to breathe in the views without looking through the lens and to feel immersed in the natural wonder of the lakes. ​

Grasmere from Helm Crag

With each trip I gain new inspiration. Art and travel are my two biggest passions, I can't live without either and both feed in to each other. My art has evolved as a means of recording, of documenting. Someday soon I'll use these photographs as inspiration for something, I'm not quite sure what yet but the prospect excites and intrigues me.