Author: info@heatherdraperart.co.uk

This was a lovely walk along the river from the car park to a busy town filled with art galleries and ice cream cafes! This area is celebrated by artists seeking inspiration, Pont Aven in Brittany’s lush landscape and this quiet stretch of water offer an ever-shifting tapestry of reflections, leafy riverbanks, and gentle movement.

In this piece, soft translucent washes capture the serene rhythm of the river as it winds past the tree-lined banks. Layered watercolours play with light filtering through the foliage, casting deep, cool reflections onto the water’s surface while allowing the warmth of the Breton daylight to glow through.

Storm Brewing is an abstract watercolour that looks across the marsh and captures the last rays of light just before a deluge. I have tried to give a sense of the atmospheric tension, heavy skies, and quiet anticipation that precede a storm..

St Annes has always been one of my favourite coastal spots to paint. With this watercolor, my goal was to keep the composition open and light-filled, letting loose brushstrokes carry the atmosphere of the Lancashire shore. I chose a soft, natural colour palette to mirror the gentle tide lines and wide skies, and included a few of the coastal plants of this region.

Few places offer a sense of space quite like the walk up Arnside Knot. This painting was inspired by a photograph I took during a walk along the ridge, where the trees frame sweeping views right across the tidal sands and waters of Morecambe Bay.

Capturing that wide open vista was a wonderful challenge—balancing the soft sky, the ever-shifting light over the bay, and the natural landscape of the Knot itself. It’s a piece that brings back the fresh air and breathtaking quiet of one of my favourite coastal walks.

Hardcastle Crags & Gibson Mill

Hardcastle Crags is one of those magic spots where history and nature intertwine effortlessly. This painting was inspired by a photograph I took on a walk through the wooded valley near Hebden Bridge, coming upon the historic Gibson Mill nestled beside the water.

I wanted to capture the quiet, timeless charm of the scene—the contrast of the historic stone building tucked into the lush green woodland canopy, and the gentle reflections resting on the millpond where people used to skate in winter!

This was a lovely day spent at Brockholes Nature Reserve near Preston, watching the many small birds darting about and feeding among the trees.
The nuthatch was a delight to paint – not my usual subject!

Morning Tranquility on Thirlmere

There is an undeniable peace in the Lake District before the rest of the world wakes up. This piece was painted from a photograph captured by my son during an early morning kayak trip across Thirlmere, surrounded by dramatic fells and complete silence.

Translating his photograph into paint gave me the chance to capture that crisp, early-morning atmosphere—the quiet glassy water, soft light over the hills, and the subtle shifts in tone across the landscape. Sharing these moments through art, especially when rooted in family memories out on the water, makes painting these Lake District scenes all the more special.

Thank you David for the photo and permission to use.

Capturing the Dorset Coastline in Watercolor

The South West Coast Path in Dorset has a unique magic to it—where rolling green paths meet the expansive blue of the sea. Painted from my own reference photograph, I use watercolour to gently layer the subtle colours of the sky, land, and water.

This short walk brought us to look out over “dancing ledge” – can you see the tiny figures below us?