The arrival of Autumn

oil on canvas 10 x 8 inches

The days seem to be flying by and this morning when drawing in my art room I looked out to the sky and thought for a moment I heard the arrival of the geese, heard that lamenting sound they make. Surely not, it must be too early for them as all week the sun has been shining giving out such light and warmth.  So much is green here around my home, in the lane and further away in the forest. The wild flowers are still in places where the light gets in standing tall almost defiant against the changing season.  I don't want to see drab dull days, bare cold trees standing stark against a grey sky.  I will miss those flowers they seem to have been so abundant this year mostly due to all the rain that fell during spring and summer. It is really only during this autumn that the skies seem to have cleared allowing at last the sun to dash in and say hello for hours on end each day to Scotland!

I painted this small seascape during the summer.  We usually visit the beach at the weekends to walk along the sand or by the harbour.  For years I lived by the sea and had such a great love of that great expanse of water and the way it always seem to look different depending on the weather. I loved the way the sky changed so many times during the day, the way the colours of that sky would alter the colour of the sea.  Some days the sky would be crisp blue with no clouds, the sea a deep dark blue, but only for a moment before a few clouds would sweep in and change everything. Often the horizon line would be crystal clear, yet another day it would disappear while a cloak of mist obscured everything. Then there was the moon light dancing on the sea, setting sun, dusk, and dawn. Once in the depth of winter I saw the moon and the sun both visible in the early morning sky. I was painting in a studio over looking the bay during November, the studio was perched high above the village, from it I could look down on the narrow lanes and see everyone going about their daily routine.  I could see the birds in the bushes by the wall playful and their bird song could be heard above everything.  Then I could look up from the lanes to the roof tops and then right out to that bay and right out beyond to that far horizon line and see boats so small in the distance.
At 4pm I could walk through the lit lanes and over to the beach then with the moon light shining over the small path up some steps to where I would finally find myself walking along a coastal path that lead over to the next sea village. The moon light lit up everything and the scene was so beautiful, sea, crashing waves against the rocks, moon shining on the sea just above the sea village illuminating the old crofts giving the illusion that it was close by. I knew I would remember that moment for always, it was just perfect, ....