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.

NS12 Nature’s Gems: December

Botanical Illustration. Artist Code: NS12. Completed December 2004. 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 my Cambridge Open Studios exhibition 2014.

The little robin lives in my little wild garden, making a great deal of noise if another invades. I had to venture to my golf club for the holly, as the tiny saplings I had planted in 2003 in my little wild garden were still in infancy. There are two genders—only the females bear the berries.

Poem:

December days grow shorter still,
but even in the darkest depths,
Holly’s light shines out, protects.
A friendly robin, brave and bold,
feathers puffed against the cold,
truly gardener’s friend of old.