A wander around Mottisfont and a painting class

I’m taking a break from writing about our workshops to share some of images of my day. I’ll get back to the workshop posts next week.

Mottisfont is one of my favourite places, and it's the reason I joined the National Trust. We’re lucky enough to live close enough to pop over for a couple of hours when the mood takes us. Today we were hunting snowdrops, and Thelwell, as there is an exhibition of his work on at the house.

First stop for me though, was Timsbury church, down the road from Mottisfont, and where Thelwell is buried. The graveyard is beautiful, with an abundance of snowdrops.

It’s a lovely little church, St Andrews. Although there may have been a Saxon church on the site, the current Grade II listed building dates from around the early 15th century. The roof and bell tower were badly damaged by fire in March 2014, and have been restored.

There is a Common Wealth War Grave for Sergeant Ralph Pratt, who died on 8th October 1943. He was RAF volunteer reserve, and his father is buried beside him.

I met with friends at Mottisfont and we had a slow stroll around the grounds. I managed to do a small sketch, and took lots of photos of the winter garden and snowdrop walk. The colour this time of year is startling and wonderful.

The Thelwell exhibition is brilliant, again. We visited last time there was a Thelwell exhibition, where I discovered that Thelwell didn’t just paint ponies, but beautiful, evocative landscapes. This is where I first discovered Timsbury church! This time around there is a collection of his war art, which is well worth a look. Ponies obviously, but different landscapes as well. Having started learning to paint and draw I have a new appreciation for watercolour, and Thelwell’s work is stunning.

This afternoon was our monthly painting class. Despite a horrible headache I managed the offerings below in a coupling of hours, and will lots of advice from our tutor Kate Bennet.

Then it was nap time!