From Seven Sisters Out to the Downs

From Seven Sisters

Out to the Downs

The Pictures

The National Trust brief for this exhibition was for a total of only eight paintings with the subject matter to be Seven Sisters and Birling Gap and the surrounding Sussex countryside. So, here they are plus a couple of extras as back-ups in case someone buys a painting and wants to take it away with them immediately. There are some posters and postcards available, too, for those who want to spend less but keep the memory. All the paintings are framed. 

Seven Sisters and Beyond from Birling Gap (2017)

This iconic image is similar to one I painted in 2016, but I have extended the view. Here we focus on the rocky foreshore and the depth of the sea. Oil on Canvas Framed £280 Postcard 50p

Ouse River Valley Walk, Near Barcombe (2016)

Lush growth following heavy rains in midsummer. Fields and hedges in the zenith of growth; tiny church spire, mansions belonging to England’s wealthy. Oil on canvas. Framed £180

Nelson (2016)

Beloved Labrador, braving the fields in late summer. Oil on canvas. Framed £180

Cuckmere (2017)

The extraordinary linear form of this meandering river and its eventual release into the sea is a fascination for the walker and the artist. Acrylic on Canvas Framed £385

Devil’s Dyke (2017)

This wild and windswept place with wonderful views; once an Iron Age fortress, now a protected escarpment maintained by the National Trust. A challenging place for keen walkers. Oil on Canvas Framed £255

Cliff at Lewes II (2016)

This view of the Lewes cliff was painted from the reed beds in the conservation area nearby in cold winter light. It’s painted in impasto style with a palette knife. Oil on canvas. Framed £180

Cliff at Lewes I (2016)

A walk along the meandering River Ouse from Lewes. This cliff slipped after snowfall in December 1836 and caused Britain’s deadliest avalanche. Now whitened and abrupt; plants have tried to colonize this severe terrain. Oil on canvas. Framed £180

Towards Jack and Jill (2017)

A late summer walk along public footpaths from Hassocks revealed this view; these iconic disused windmills on the top of the Downs. Oil on Canvas Framed £180 SOLD

Beachy Head (2017)

The famous lighthouse at the bottom of the cliffs; a sight for both artists and mariners to look out for! Oil on Canvas Framed £180

The River Cuckmere Empties into the Sea (2017)

The meandering river finally finds release into the sea; nearby gently rustling rushes and an ancient cliff scarred by time. A place of inspiration for painter and poet alike. Oil on Canvas Framed £165

Seven Sisters from Birling Gap (2016)

Viewed from sea worn pebbles on a cold winter’s day; my hands almost froze! Poster. Unframed £10

The River Cuckmere Enters Into the Sea

Cuckmere where my children

when young found a wrecked

boat and played happily for hours.

Cuckmere finding samphire

a delicacy foraged,

a poor man’s asparagus.

A place sea twine was strewn

I gathered some which I interwove

hanging the coloured memento

on my back garden fence

now honeysuckle wefts it’s

way between the faded strands.

The number 12 bus passing

the iconic site on my way to

visit Eastbourne where I studied

Tania’s course on ‘Creative Joy

based on the Artist’s Way

and later to see the outside

of the building where my husband

took his life and to have healing

within a space where the sound of

bees in a hive and tasting pollen

gave me a sense of calm.

The day the field to the left of

Cuckmere was covered in a flotilla

of chalky blue butterflies hovering

above the flooded field.

The passing highlight

on my way to story telling

in Eastbourne at the Landsdowne Hotel.

The picture that inspired these thoughts

Was ‘The River Cuckmere Enters into the Sea' by Gareth Williams

Alanna McIntyre

Poet, Brighton