I've noticed this Autumn in Upper Calderdale has been especially colourful and golden. Sorry, no real gold in our Pennine hills (as far as I know). The gold I am talking about is all around us in Nature.
The Beech trees have been the stars. The glow of their vibrant display lit up the woodland and they held onto their leaves for a long time despite blustery storms.
If for any reason you have to spend a lot of time indoors and miss the wild things, you can always bring a little of the outside in with you.
Bringing the outside in, Beech leaves in a milk jug.
Its amazing how a few leaves or twigs placed in a simple jug can be so uplifting. The faint scent of the outdoor air comes in with them. Such leaves may not last very long in the warm but remain beautiful as they dry out.
Of course you could go full-on and have a huge display in a massive ornate vase and that does look wonderful in the right context. But my house is small and it suits simplicity a lot of the time.
This is Nutclough Woods in Hebden Bridge, a delightful spot known mostly to locals as the entrance is just out of town and not that obvious. In early November the scene was a symphony of russet browns and ambery golds.
The wonderful Autumn light and colour inspired me to print more of my woodcuts.
I hand colour the prints with watercolour paint meaning I can change the tones I use to reflect the season we're in and appeal to those of you who love warm tints. Most of my print editions are variable in this way.
Autumn Comes To Hardcastle Crags, Woodcut print.
This unique woodcut print is now abailable to buy in my shop in the Woodcut Landscapes section of the menu.
Also new on my website shop is this pair of Hebden Bridge townscapes Autumn variants.
Hebden Bridge, Bank Terrace, Hand coloured woodcut print.
Hebden Bridge, Terraces Towers And Trees, Hand coloured woodcut print.
Small, Northern, industrial towns have a reputation for being a bit grim. Hebden Bridge in Autumn defies these lazy stereotypes. This town is situated in a small valley with the tree-covered hills surrounding town acting like the sides of a bowl capturing and reflecting the golden light onto stone buildings and falling leaves. Wandering around corners of Hebden Bridge at this time of year is to be presented with unexpected vistas of glowing warmth and quiet beauty.
In the meantime, where ever you are, I hope you can enjoy the final days of Autumn gold and do go outdoors if you can!
