Nature’s Gems Series

Between 2002 and 2004 I produced twelve water colour paintings which I hoped might be used in the design of a calendar. I went out and about at the beginning of each month and decided what flora and fauna might be of interest in a particular month and what would make nice little paintings to go on my proposed calendar. These 12 paintings have the codes  NS01 to NS12 (‘NS’stands for Nature Series). However, when I designed and published the A4 limited edition calendar in 2005 for the year 2006, it ended up with the title: “Nature’s Gems”. All 300 editions were sold. And each year since then I have designed and produced a calendar based on my artwork done during the year, or re-using some popular pictures from previous years. The calendars remain as popular now as they were in 2005 and lovely people come back to purchase them year after year. The calendars have been sent all over the world. I also now produce A5 and Half A3 Calendars, as well as CD size calendars in a plastic case.

NS01 Nature’s Gems: January Snowdrops

Botanical Illustration. Artist Code: NS01. Completed March 2002. Original SOLD. Water colour on Aquarelle Arches 100% Hot Pressed cotton rag paper. Unframed size 9″ x 12″. Framed size 19” x 15”.

SOLD at the Hinchingbrooke Country Centre Christmas Sale 2015.

I was so taken with the subtle, simple beauty of a snowdrop that I had to reproduce it, with cross-sections and bulb. Some aspects were enlarged to show off the otherwise unapparent “delicacies” of the plant. This was the very first painting I thought would go nicely as January in my new calendar idea. However, I realized later that all the other pictures were not ‘botanical’, so this one looked out of place in the initial design. However, with a bit of computer ‘wizardry’ I made it look like a lovely bunch of snowdrops.

Poem:

So little sun to light the day—
January so cold and bleak.
The wind blows cold you cannot speak.
But Nature always has her way,
as shining from the darkest day,
lovely little snowdrops peak.

And another, in the language of flowers:

THE FLOWER OF HOPE
A little wren flits here and there
She weaves amongst black branches bare
Through wintry cloud and gloomy day
She scuttles downwards on her way
Amongst the snowdrops bringing hope
A morsel finds then she can cope.

NS01 Computer generated picture from my original artwork