Redwings

I have finally moved in to my new house, and am enjoying getting to know the new walks in the area, even though it is only a few miles up the road from my previous house. The Cuckoo Trail is fabulous at the moment, and I’ve been making mental notes of what I’m seeing when I’m out with the dogs, and will hopefully be able to make my sketchpad and binoculars out with me soon, when headspace allows!

I’ve seen a number of Redwings tucking in to the sloes and hawthorn berries in the scrubby shrubbery alongside the former railway track. No Fieldfares as yet, but I’m hoping they will be here soon.

Last year I started a woodcut of some Redwings, but have yet to unearth my gorgeous cutting tools from the boxes – although my new pegboards should enable me to get the out and start carving again in the next few weeks. I have a bit of a time trying to work out how I want the woodcut to look as I don’t have a great deal of instinct for what I should leave. I have a subscription to Pressing Matters magazine and it is so inspirational but I still look at Lino and woodcut prints and wonder how on earth they decide what to leave and what to take away.

Here is the Redwing woodcut thus far, with a reminder on why it’s not helpful to have a cat around when you are using any kind of ink.

I had painted a Redwing for Birds of Winchelsea, and will be using them in Birds of Christmas when I put that together next year. I am really missing painting and working on logbooks but I know from experience that doing either when I have lots of other things going on does not turn out well! November is busy on a domestic front, plus I have a couple of Christmas Open House events with my friend and fellow artist Sam Tuffnell at her house in Eastbourne which will be fun.