An Autumn visit to Guisborough

On one of the gloriously sunny days last week I revisited Guisborough, a beautiful historic town close to Middlesbrough.

The sunlight created a series of curved shadows at the entrance to the ancient Priory.



I strolled round the back of the Priory to view its magnificent arches against the autumn sky.


A secret door set in an old wall enhanced the mood of enchantment and beckoned me to explore.


In the grounds of the Priory there were wonderful shadowy paths, where light and shade revealed strange shapes.


A mysterious poly-tunnel gleamed between the dark trees.


In the distance the distinctive shape of Highcliffe rose from the Forest.



Autumn colours adorned the trees in the mellow sunlight.


Clouds swirled exultantly in the warm breeze.



Closer and closer I drew to Highcliffe as the sun shone through golden foliage.



At the edge of the woods cottages nestled into the hillside.



I chose from the many pathways through Guisborough Forest and was entranced by the dappled light as the path wound and dipped, revealing distant vistas.

As the warm dusk closed in, a peachy-golden glow settled over the land.

Ingrid Sylvestre

Painting in Progress!

Here's the promised update on the blank piece of paper! This is how the painting looks today. There is still quite a lot of work to be done on it, particularly in the distant Cleveland Hills, and the foreground and trees details.



The above photo shows the painting yesterday. I usually work the sky first, particularly with watercolour, which is the medium I'm using here. Sometimes I draw the composition in with pencil first, but with this painting I started immediately with the paint.

My aim is to express the exhilaration and sense of wonder the landscape stirs in me, and to celebrate this special place with it's dramatic skies and unique atmosphere.

You can view further paintings of this beautiful area of North East England landscape at my Grey Towers Art site.

North East artist Ingrid Sylvestre, Grey Towers paintings, Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough, Cleveland.

Wild Winds and Dancing Light

The gale force winds and lashing rain early on Thursday morning may not have seemed ideal conditions for a walk, but what exhilaration and inspiration lay ahead!


This wonderful walk begins down Grey Towers Farm Lane, where emerging into wide fields, one sees the distinctive edge of Poole Wood with it's curved trees. Today it is topped with grey scudding clourds and seems both dark and luminous.



Further along, a rainbow rises above the historic Grey Towers mansion.



The track curves round the edge of Jubilee Plantation, where the wind flurries bring rich scents of ploughed earth.


Storm clouds gather over the distant Cleveland Hills, and the young crops shimmer bright green.



A sudden mellowing of the light, and a farm leads the eye between autumn trees.


Ahead, the cottages of Old Nunthorpe village nestle snugly, as clouds race across the ever-changing sky.

A very special walk.

Revisiting blogland - and a very special place!

Hello again, Blogland!

I'm amazed that it is nearly a year since my last post. Suddenly lots of unexpected but welcome creative projects and work cropped up, and I decided to stop blogging completely for a while. Blogging is a bit like eating chocolate for me - either all or nothing!

It has been an amazing year, and one of the best aspects has been re-visiting a very special place. I spoke about it in a post last Autumn, and this year I've been able to spend a lot of time appreciating it's wonderful environment while working on creative projects.

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One's vision can go from glorious panoramic views of the Cleveland Hills to winding paths through the woods, leading to a secret circular garden surrounded by tall hedges ...

A tranquil lake hidden in the woods ...

A sylvan lane leading to harvest fields and skies of splendour ...

Pastoral views to a cosy village ...

Stunning cloud-scapes over the historic mansion, Grey Towers ...

Serene skies at dusk, bordered by the long line of Cleveland Hills ...

Otherworldly sunsets over harvest fields ...

Ingrid Sylvestre

North East artist Ingrid Sylvestre, English landscape painter, Fine Art paintings for sale, commissions, Grey Towers paintings, Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough, Cleveland.