Colour from the season - Hair moss green & brown

Last Sunday was a bit overcast as February days can be. Walked up onto the cliff at Heddon's Mouth towards Woody Bay - where the view is amazing and always uplifting, even on the worst of days.

Hair moss, likes damp conditions - perfect for it then in North Devon. The (top) brown is the exact colour of a lovely old 70's Saab I used to own which sadly I had to part with when the engine started cutting out every time I turned right - not ideal in London.

the view

even Chip felt a bit chilly...



















...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Colour from the Season - Spiketail yellow

An interesting plant that I came across by chance a few days ago while I was actually looking for Crocuses. It's origins are in woodlands in Japan and the Himalayas. I liked the colours - the green/yellow of the tiny flower bells against the rich red/brown of the branch - simple...

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Colour from the Season - Hellebore

If you haven't tried cutting Hellebores, three things are worth remembering:

First is that they often wilt within a very short time - even in water, so you've only got a few hours of life from them (important if you want to study them). Second, they are poisonous, particularly the roots, but any prolonged skin contact may cause burning. Third and last, Pliny states before digging up a plant you must first face east and implore the gods for permission, as they are a magical root guarded by birds..!

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Colour from the Season - Pussy willow

Pussy willow reminds me more of little furry rabbits feet rather than cats, but apparently it's name derives from Polish folklore about baby kittens being rescued by the willow tree.  A quick search and you find that there are various traditions surrounding it in different parts of the world and it seems to be globally loved - not just me then! - The red and yellow were the unexpected colour of the newly opened buds which had contained the furry catkin...

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Colour from the Season - Rosa (Valentine) red

Rosa Rugosa's new green shoots, although it'll be a while yet before it flowers. Bringing a slightly alternative angle to Valentine's day with the seasonal colour of this wild rose - well, there is still red in it..!

...from my seasonal colour notebook

Colour from the Season - Muscari blue

These little Muscari (Grape Hyacinths) will soon be carpeting the garden - they have an incredible perfume. Apparently not all are blue - there are lots of varieties, some are yellow and smell of bananas(?) They feel quite 1950's in their style and perfume and I really love them. Drawing them today I realised how the leaves have so much movement, something that I might have otherwise missed...

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Colour from the season - Cyclamen pink

This little Cyclamen might be low to the ground, but it's colour had a high impact, hard not to spot it. Suddenly things are starting to burst into colour - it's amazing...

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Colour from the Season - wood pigeon greys

Walking in North Molton woods at the weekend, sadly the first thing on the ground was a dead wood pigeon. It was completely intact and looked as if it could have died flying into a tree?  I saw at least another three dead wood pigeons on the same walk - but the only remains were the feathers - these are some of the greys from them...

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Colour from the season - snowdrop white?

Snowdrops are out! - this is a messy little sketch of them that I did a couple of years ago - I seem to remember that it was a freezing cold day and I was experimenting with drawing (outside) using bits of stick.
Very fresh green and orange hidden in the petals...

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Colour from the Season - Rabbit bark orange!

Rabbits eat bark in winter. A few years ago after a snow fall, there were patches of what looked like blood all over the snow, in fact it looked as if there had been a rabbit massacre in the woodland!  Luckily, I found out, that it was just rabbit urine probably coloured by the tree bark they were eating. This (rabbit gnawed) bark that I collected today might be Cherry tree? I 'm not completely sure, but it's a bright fiery orange and seemed a good colour to celebrate the day.

Happy Chinese New Year  2011 - Year of the Rabbit...!

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Colour from the Season - Aubretia Purple/yellow/green

It's been pretty cold here. I'm out because I have to walk Chip and more recently, collecting colours - but these little flowers were out because??... are they mad? - (and isn't it a bit early for Aubretia anyway?)

Hello February!

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

The little things - Heart Urchins

The little things in life that make the difference...

...finding these white shells, like fine porcelain sculptures on the beach yesterday all along the tide line and discovering that they are the shell remains of Heart Urchins. So fragile that it must have been a very gentle tide that washed them onto the shore.

Colour from the Season - Horse Chestnut leaf red

More Horse Chestnut - the trees here in Devon are stunted by winds and altitude, but in Bath where it is sheltered (and where I grew up), they are comparative giants.  We used to strip the leaves to their skeletons trying to keep the whole palmate of leaves intact. These leaves were on the ground, a couple of days ago and I liked their rich red brown colouring...

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook

Colour from the Season - January leaves

Freezing weather again and blue skies - in today's morning light even the dead leaves and seed heads left on the trees suddenly seemed remarkable. All these beautiful subtle colours which perhaps on a duller day I could have easily overlooked...

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Colour from the Season - Primrose pink?

The first primrose is flowering in the garden! In Devon primroses thrive - and soon the banks and hedgerows will be completely carpeted with them. Yes, primroses are usually yellow, but these pink hybrids occur naturally and range from the palest pinks like this one, to quite dark pink. Luckily our garden seems to get the full colour range...

...from my seasonal colour notebook.

Colour from the season - Rosa maigold

More thorny rose stems, this time from the beautiful old english climbing rose Maigold, which flowers in a wild and extravagant manner all through May on the front wall of our house. Interesting slightly ragged flowers and thorny stems, which were the inspiration for my fabric design Rosetta Glory...

 ...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Colour from the season - Rose velvet fragrance

At this time of year you notice the stems of roses more than in the summer and often their names would seem inappropriate if you had never seem a rose bloom, this dangerously thorny one is called Velvet Fragrance. Roses always remind me of my mum - in the summer she has a garden full of amazing blooms. Though she had already pruned this one - she was ok about me taking off a bit more and luckily of course I have my new secateurs..x

...from my seasonal colour notebook.

The little things - pocket sized secateurs

The little things in life that make the difference...

Mini secateurs - easier to make a quick getaway and much less damaging to the plants, which benefit from a little bit of pruning here and there anyway. I made a little holster for these because they're pretty sharp  - Perfect! 

(They're by Alan Titchmarsh)

Colour from the Season - Sarcococca

Berries turning right through these shades of red and purple to black and acid green leaves - For the January catwalk, this little moth I scouted out the other night, is wearing Sarcococca...

...from my seasonal colour notebook.

Colour from the Season - Horse Chestnut bud red

Hard to believe after the prolonged cold weather - that any new growth would be venturing out of the trees and ground - but this morning I noticed that the Horse Chestnuts were starting to bud and it seemed fitting to start a new year with new growth. The sticky red of the bud alongside the smooth brown and purple of its branch.

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.