A virtual Bowlees exhibition by artist Ann Whitfield

Ann was due to exhibit at Bowlees in June. She draws her inspiration from the remote Northern landscape, the wild places, ravaged by time and weather. These paintings of the North Pennines show some of the places she loves the most. Most are familiar to anyone who walks the hills. Some are just fragments, rocks or trees along the way, others seek to share the exhilaration of a moment in the wide empty landscape special to this area.

Click on the individual images to view larger size and details of the price and size of the paintings.

Ann sells her work online. It can be viewed on her website www.annwhitfieldart.co.uk, on her Facebook page: Art by Ann Whitfield and Twitter:  @Anns_paintings

Juniper studies:

I am fascinated by the twisting trunks and extraordinary growth of the junipers which are such a feature of Upper Teesdale.

Landscape Fragments:

These small studies are just fragments, rocks and vegetation seen along the way. Although they are quite abstract, they have a reality for those of us who tramp the hills!

Ann Whitfield

I am a landscape painter living and working in Barnard Castle. I draw my inspiration from the remote Northern landscape, the wild places, ravaged by time and weather. These paintings of the North Pennines show some of the places I love the most. Most are familiar to anyone who walks the hills. Some are just fragments, rocks or trees along the way, others seek to share the exhilaration of a moment in the wide empty landscape special to this area.

My recent work has been in watercolour and Indian ink. I work experimentally, using vibrant colours and a semi abstract style to give a strong and distinctive personal voice to my work. The paintings are the result of two or three years of experimentation working with these media. I use large brushes and bamboo pens, which can lead to frustration when things go wrong, but it’s very exciting when it works.

Although my paintings are topographically correct and location is very important, I do not seek a photographic representation, as I consider that is adequately achieved with photographs. I work from sketches made in the field and further drawings in the studio, before starting a painting. Because of Covid 19, my walking and sketching in the hills has been abruptly curtailed during this beautiful spring, regretfully at the most wonderful time of year.  However, a sketch done many years ago immediately takes me back to the day it was drawn, sitting on a hillside. I can once again hear the calls of golden plovers and lapwings ringing through the air. I hope that my paintings can bring a little of this magic to you.

I have exhibited widely in the North East both in group and solo shows. For many years now I have opened my studio to visitors at bank holidays and at regular intervals in between, or by appointment.  Although that has not been possible this spring, I am looking forward to the day when I can welcome you once again. I particularly enjoy the direct contact with my customers which this method of exhibiting permits.

I also sell my work online, and it can be viewed on my website, www.annwhitfieldart.co.uk, Facebook page: Art by Ann Whitfield and Twitter:  @Anns_paintings

A selection of my prints and cards are for sale throughout the year at Bowlees Visitor Centre and at the Witham.