The Dreaming Fields of Grey Towers Farm - under threat of development

As regular readers of this blog will know - I love Middlesbrough! And one of it's chief assets is the outstanding countryside right along it's edge. To the south lies the outlying village of Nunthorpe from whence stretches some of the most beautiful hitherto undeveloped landscape one could imagine. Unspoilt views of rolling fields, woods and copses, all with an intangible atmosphere of specialness - a unique 'genius loci'.

North East artist Ingrid Sylvestre Durham artists UK

There are many lovely walks around the Nunthorpe area, and one of the best begins (or ends) at Grey Towers Farm Lane. Just off the 'Poole Roundabout' this historic lane is bordered on one side by lush fields and on the other side by Poole Wood. The fields are currently under threat of development - how different would they look if covered in 295 houses!



The photo above shows some of the fields, with their bounding copses and woods. Turning the other way, one looks into Poole Wood, with it's Lake and view across to the historic Grey Towers mansion, once the home of Sir Arthur Dorman. The mansion and it's surrounding lands, now private, were purchased and given 'to the people of Middlesbrough' by an early Middlesbrough mayor, then Alderman Poole, and initially used as a TB sanatorium. Gibson Poole stated that he wanted to preserve from development for all time 'this loveliest of Cleveland's beauty spots'.


The Lake area is an important wildlife site, it's secluded location making it a haven for all kinds of creatures, including bats. If the housing development was constructed just across the Lane, the surface water drainage of the fields would be affected, probably causing a rise in the level of the Lake, destroying habitats.


At the lower end of the Lane, the trees of Poole Wood and 'Horsejump Wood' almost meet, giving a dramatic frame to the spectacular Cleveland skies. There is a secret feel to this area, an undisturbed loveliness, which is too good to lose. The trees of Poole Wood arch protectively over the Lane, like giant bird's wings, as if the Spirit of Place were defending the land.


Stepping beyond one is overawed by the majesty of the landscape. Huge mountainous clouds billow above, as sunbeams break through, illuminating a lone tree. In the distance the Cleveland Hills give an undulating backdrop to this breathtaking scene.


This area is one of Middlesbrough's best assets. An intangible unquantifiable asset, of immeasureable worth and irreplaceable value.

Not an asset that should be packaged up into bundles of 'estimated Council Tax receivable for high Band houses', not to be dug up, mutilated and transformed into just another housing development.

To save this lovely area of countryside would show wisdom, discernment and forward thinking - all attributes highly becoming for a lively and inspirational town (city?) like Middlesbrough.

Further information about the proposed housing development can be viewed here at Greater Nunthorpe org, including how to write letters of objection.

Durham Supermoon

When we were out in Durham City on Saturday night, the supermoon shone down on Elvet Bridge as the restaurants emptied.


Brighter than the lights along the River Banks, surpassing the street-lamps ...


Serene and still as the taxis sped by the Old Shire Hall ...



Illuminating Spring buds on filigree branches ...


Beautiful beyond the clouds.

Ingrid Sylvestre

Spring Tree Dance

I have just completed this painting, after having laid down the first brushstrokes in 2001! Sometimes it is good to let a painting grow slowly, just like the trees it portrays.

The group of Hornbeams are situated in the University of Durham Botanic Garden, and I have drawn and painted them several times. I love their rhythmic shapes and the way the group interact with each other spatially, with the steep hill beyond. Situated in a deep dell overshadowed by trees, the light has a golden-green hue giving the place a secretive feel. One feels the need to tiptoe by, not to disturb the trees in their Spring revelry!


This is a much larger painting than the one featured in a previous post, measuring around 70 x 50 cm. I used a beautifully textured thick tinted watercolour paper, and waterproof ink to add the linear qualities to the watercolour.

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NB: As my followers will know, I am highly concerned about the future of our Forests, and will follow with interest the progress of the campaign particularly at Save Our Woods. This article by European Trees about the government panel draws attention to urgent needs.

Ingrid Sylvestre English Landscape Painter Durham North East England UK Newcastle Teesside Sunderland Darlington Northumberland Landscape Paintings Garden Paintings Paintings of Trees and Woods and Forests Fine Artist Paintings for Sale.

Unknown Galanthus and the Light of Spring

Each year I excitedly anticipate the snowdrops, and these are a particular favourite given by a dear friend. They are larger than most Galanthus, and I wonder if anyone can identify them?



I love the subtle yet defined green markings.


There's something especially appealing about snowdrops in shade - they can look quite magical!


Another unidentified favourite is this little Euphorbia, which glows ruby-like next to Stonecrop.


Myriads of Myosotis have self seeded everywhere, and will soon cover the soil in a cloud of blue. In the light of Spring, even their humble leaves seem to exude an inner gloriousness.


New furry foliage of Stachys lanata 'Primrose Heron' arises in lemon-hued vibrance from last year's winter-washed remains.



Seed-heads of 'Autumn Joy' glow like embers in a shady corner.



Illuminated by the light of Spring, their stems seem to flicker with haloes of fire.

Ingrid Sylvestre

Ingrid Sylvestre English Landscape Painter Durham North East England UK Landscape Art Garden Paintings Trees Woods Forests Paintings for Sale Fine Artist Visionary Artist. Durham Sunderland Newcastle Teesside Darlington Northumberland.

Midnight Celebrations of England's Forests!

At around 11pm I read this Guardian article via Twitter 'Forests sell-off abandoned as Cameron orders u-turn.' Could this be true? What did it mean? There was a sudden prolonged flurry of Tweets as forest lovers read the article and pondered it's content. A mood of celebration and wonder grew, and although we were all cautious in assuming too much, there was an overflow and interchange of happiness and gratitude to all who have played a part in campaigning for our public forests.

This response on the Save Our Woods website gives a good analysis, with wise words from Lord Greaves.

I like the Guardian's statement 'In under 3 months the sell-off had united organizations and individuals across the political divide.' Love of our forests has created true, real 'big society' actions!

Outside, the moon shone over the silent trees and a stillness and sense of waiting could be felt in the woods. I was moved to create this little painting to celebrate our forests and our freedom.

Save Our Forests!

As my regular readers will know, this is not a political blog. I very rarely speak or even think of politics. But as someone who loves trees and woods, how can I remain silent when the forests of my country are under threat of being sold?

It was with disbelief, then horror, that I first read via Twitter that the government are intending to sell off our Forestry Commission forests. Sell our heritage, our public domain places of solace, inspiration, special family times and memories? Surely this could not be so!

But it is so at this time of writing. For those who would know about the details, the implications and the public's overwhelmingly passionate response to this threat, I direct you to the links at the top of my right sidebar. These will take you to several hard-working campaign sites dedicated to informing the public and saving our forests.

My focus here is on the more 'intangible' emotional and 'spiritual' reasons for opposing this sale.




These special places are vital for our well-being: physical, mental and 'spiritual'. In our stressful materialistic world, we need to regain our sense of wonder, to break free from the obsessions with monetary profit, market forces and measurable assets. For me a walk in the woods is frequently a transcendent experience, as well as an enjoyable form of exercise in fresh air and beautiful surroundings.

How can we quantify the feeling of looking up through light-dappled leaves, that lifting of the spirits, which at the same time brings tears to our eyes? It is not only with our physical senses that we revel in the scent of damp earth, the soaring trunks, the sighing of the wind through branches. Is beauty measurable? What price do we dare to put on imagination, creativity or sense of place?

There is an ancient symbolism in trees and forests that runs through history. It flows through our literature, our art, and our popular culture. How many authors have been inspired by woods! Tolkien, whose descriptions in Lord of the Rings contributed immensely to my own appreciation of trees, Julia Donaldson with her wonderful Gruffalo children's books, and many more.

These are just a few of the reasons why I, along with so many others, am so passionately opposed to the unfair and unnecessary proposals to sell off our forests.

Gateway to a New Year

At last I am satisfied that I have finished my painting of the Oak Tree! (See earlier post for beginning of painting).

The Oak, symbol of strength and endurance, stands like a Guardian of the Forests, and I was interested to read that to the early Celts the Oak was a 'tree of doors believed to be a gateway to other worlds'.

I'm very rarely inspired to write poetry, but I felt moved to do so when looking at the finished painting and thinking about the significance to me of this particular tree, it's location, and the beginning of a New Year.

Ingrid Sylvestre

Bison over my Kitchen Sink!

Maybe I'd over-indulged on festive fare, but the other evening as I stood by the kitchen sink I could make out the shape of a bison in the iced-over window behind the roller-blind!


Like prehistoric cave paintings, there were other animals too ...

Today they are all gone.

More Midwinter Middlesbrough - Sylvan Season's Greetings!

Here is more celebration of the beautiful landscape around Middlesbrough. Some of you mentioned that you would like me to show more images of this area - and as it is one of my favourite painting places, I'm very happy indeed to do so!

Every year I like to produce new Season's Greetings cards to send to friends, and this year I painted the above design. It features the landscape just south of Middlesbrough, looking toward the Cleveland Hills. This is one of my favourite views, with the fields and copses stretching into the distance, and the phenomenal skies one so often sees over this lovely place.

I painted the scene yesterday, on A4 size blue-grey Ingres paper. Firstly I used black waterproof drawing ink, and then I added the white highlights with gouache paint. This is a combination I often use for painting sylvan and garden imagery, as I find it ideal for communicating atmosphere.





I used the above rendering of the image, with an orange layer over the moon, as a temporary Header on this blog yesterday, to celebrate the unique combination of Winter Solstice, Full Moon and Lunar Eclipse!

Season's Greetings to you all! I wish you a lovely holiday and a wonderful year ahead, full of beauty and love and light.

Ingrid Sylvestre

Light in Midwinter Middlesbrough

I love Middlesbrough. Not only is it set in some of the most outstandingly beautiful landscapes in the UK, the town itself is a pleasure to visit. I look forward to the walk from the station with it's wonderful architectural surroundings, and one of my favourite routes is past the spacious town hall square on the way to Teesside University.

The above photo was taken a couple of weeks ago, very early one morning when the snows had just begun. It was my first view of this year's tree. As I passed, the sun suddenly came out from behind the looming snow-clouds, shining directly through the star that crowns the tree.

It was a moment of such beauty and hope. May this town and inhabitants, it's industry and excellent inspirational University prosper!



The tree yesterday, lit by the town lights and the waxing moon.

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This post is part of OOTS (Out on the Streets), a meme of monthly blog posts featuring public planting aspects of our streets, initiated by Veg Plotting. Do visit her blog, from where you can also visit the other OOTS blog posts.

Food for the Artist's Palate!

On these freezing winter nights we particularly enjoy our food - in large quantities! And I like to introduce a sense of whimsical artistry into it's preparation ...



A few years ago I came across these wonderful palette-shaped plates. How could I resist buying them?!



Here the culinary artist's materials are assembled. Pasta is bubbling. Rashers of delicious smokey bacon are sizzling in another pan, while onions, celery, red peppers and banana are chopped. A spoonful of curry powder adds to the colour spectrum on the palette. My favourite Yeo Valley Greek Style Organic joghurt is waiting ...

All the vegetables are thrown with a flourish into the pan and sauteed with the bacon, then the banana to thicken it up towards the end. Arrange the mixture on the palette, garnish with the joghurt ...



From palette to palate! Yum ...

Oak Tree painting in progress

A friend just sent me a photo of one of my favourite trees - a majestic old oak tree next to a wonderful Wood. I was immediately inspired to paint it again!

This time I felt moved to paint it at night, in the snow. I have many special memories of this scene, with the oak standing strong, spreading it's branches against the night sky, as the Wood sighs in the breeze beyond. Ivy grows up it's mighty trunk, making intricate criss-cross patterns in the covering of snow.



I'm using mixed media, (oil pastel and watercolour), on very heavy textured watercolour paper. Impulsive with this painting, I didn't stretch the paper first, which doesn't matter as it is so thick! Wanting to continue quickly I draped the painting over the back of two chairs in front of the radiator to dry.



(I'm still working on the previous painting of the Cleveland Hills - I like to let a painting 'stand' for a few days, while I meditate on it to decide what final work needs to be done - otherwise it can be tempting to 'overwork' it!)

Ingrid Sylvestre

Apples of gold under silvery snow

We have had much snow here, and I was curious to see how the little tree with the apples of gold was faring. ( See post 'Autumn ends with apples of gold'). Camera in waterproof wrap, I set off through the night blizzard.

The scene was transformed from russets and golds to silver, mauve and deep blue! And though it's branches were bowed under the weight of the snow, the tree still seemed to shine with an inner light. The snow stopped falling and all was still.

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.

A Blank Canvas - (or in this case, paper)!

Unlike many of my fellow-artist-friends, I LOVE a blank canvas or sheet of paper!

It's that excitement and anticipation of making the first mark, which may be premeditated after many sketches, or just joyous spontaneity.

This piece of work will be based on the landscape around Grey Towers which featured in my blogpost of November 12th. I'll be posting as it develops ...

North East artist Ingrid Sylvestre, Durham North East England UK. English Landscape Painter, English Landscape Painting, English Romantic Landscape Paintings, Fine Art commissions paintings for sale.

Autumn ends with apples of gold

Has today been the end of our Autumn? A chilly dawn revealed frost, and all around the country people have been saying that Winter is here. But what a glorious finale to the season!

Under cloudless skies, the woods shimmered with the last of the leaves and a profusion of berries.

Secretive paths seemed to beckon, leading beyond screens of twigs to the heart of the woods.



And there I found a beautiful tree, celebrating Autumn with apples of gold.

Influenced by the love of English Romantic Landscape Paintings and the English Romantic Landscape!

North East artist Ingrid Sylvestre Durham artist North East art for sale

Ingrid Sylvestre

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.