Artist in Residence at Stephens House and Gardens: April to October, 2015

During the first few weeks, I have been getting to know the grounds at Stephens House and Gardens by drawing and taking photographs. Up in the tower studio, I have been working on monoprints and mini paintings.
Here are some samples of  my observations so far:

The above are monprints of the Weeping Beech that is outside my studio window, facing north.

I love the fallen trees with the massive roots and the cut up logs. These trees are near the playground, and some of the children play on these. The trees fell down in the middle of the night on Valentine's Day in 2014, and will be removed next year.

Above are two little watercolours I painted while sitting on the front lawn during one of the sunny afternoons last week. You can see my tower studio in the distance behind the tree, as well as the Weeping Beech.

Here are two mini paintings that were painted from some photos that I took while walking my dog. The first painting has a corner of the 'Bothy' showing and in the 2nd painting you can see Perla (my dog) on the path on the left.
I plan to continue like this for a while, drawing and painting from observation, gradually moving on to a larger format and toward abstraction. It's a privilege to be an artist in this special place!