Sentinel: Danebury Hillfort

Sentinel, oil on linen, 70 x 50 cm

I've painted this beech tree before, but this time it is in leaf, and more of the lumps and bumps of the hillfort's earthworks are visible.

The tree stands, tall, proud and solitary, by the entrance to the fort (here, we are looking out of the fort). It made me think of a guardian or sentinel.

Sentinel

oil on linen, 70 x 50 cm

£260

Painted 19 May 2018 in Open Studio

Embankment: Beech Wood at Danebury Hill

Embankment: Beech Wood at Danebury Hill, oil on canvas, 40x50cm

Earlier this week, I visited Danebury Hill, where there is a large, well preserved, iron-age hill fort. There is also a very lovely beech wood on the side of the hill. Here, the beech trees are growing over the outer ramparts of the fort, their shallow root systems rising from the ground as the trees cling to the earthworks.

The painting is based on photographs that I took at Danebury.

Embankment: Beech Wood at Danebury Hill

oil on canvas, 40 x 50 cm

£210

Danebury - SOLD

Hill forts are rather difficult to depict as a whole, and sometimes rather unsatisfying or unrepresentantive as little bits. Dannebury hill fort, near Andover in Hampshire, is a large and fairly complex hillfort, but it does have some satisfyingly significant ramparts, and some very lovely trees.

Here s one of the latter upon one of the former.

From a photograph, painted in the Open Studio last week.

Oil on linen canvas, 50 x 70 cm
SOLD