Book Update.

 In the past week or two I have had a couple of enquiries regarding the Wainwrights in Colour Book so I thought a blog post would be useful.
 As I work my way through the list of fells I try and juggle several balls in the air at the same time, not only completing the paintings but then doing all the follow up admin. From scanning the images and updating the website right through to all the ancillary admin such as answering emails etc. At the same time I am actually working on the design of the book. This is so that the publication of the book can go ahead as soon as all the sketches are complete.
 We have done a bit of re-working of the design and this may not even be the final layout. This is an example of the Chapter pages.

The 214 fells will all be featured with as many of the 1500 sketches as possible shown in the book. The intention is to let the sketches speak for themsleves but there will of course be notes on how the scenes have changed etc. Below is an example of just one of the designed pages for the fells.

 To date we have over 1000 potential orders for the book and already we have had email enquiries from bookshops to supply them with copies. We have a date in mind for the official launch later on in the year but we will post more news here shortly.
 In the meantime, keep watching the website for updates.

Wainwrights at your fingertips.

 Did you know that here on The Teesdale Gallery website not only can you find gallery information but also a photographic record of walks to ALL of the 214 Lakeland "Wainwright" Fells?

 Visit the On Location section and you will find hundred of walks in all seasons, all with a set of photographs to inspire you to get out onto the hills or just enjoy. Andy's walks are not usually standard recognised routes as they are from his reference search for his Wainwrights in Colour Project so you will find many photographs from unusual locations.
Why not bookmark the website: www.theteesdalegallery.co.uk or "Like" the Facebook page?

Ten Years On

  A friend of mine off Facebook, Gary Jones recently posted some super photos from a recent trip to Chester Zoo and in particular some great shots of Black Rhino. The photos took me back 10 years to a trip that I did to Northern Kenya.
 I'm sure that we all remember where we were on that fateful day- 11th september 2001 and for me it certainly was memorable as I along with a team of about 12 others were cycling across the remote dusty tracks of Laikipia raising money for Save the Rhino.
 So the other day I had a rummage in the studio. There in a small box are pages from a sketchbook from that trip. These sketches have never been on display since they were done so I have scanned a couple and put them on here for the first time.
 I'm actually not too sure what to do with them, some as you can see are quite saleable where as others have a special meaning and little commercial value.
Anyway, here they are.

White Rhino in the heat of the day.

These were on the Lewa Reserve and we were able to approach to within just a few metres. We did see Black Rhino as well but they tend to be more cautious.

Lone Bull Elephant.

Samburu Tribesman and the type of terrain through which we cycled.

White Rhino mother (Opndo) and 8 week old calf at Lewa.

A return to the blog.

  Time flies, nearly a year since I posted here on the gallery blog. Obviously some readers of this blog (if there are actually any?) will realise that regular updates of what I actually get up to can be found on the gallery Facebook page or for the more photographic side of things on the Andy Beck Images website and blog.
 Of couse I haven't been sitting doing nothing, in fact I can say that I have never been busier. The Wainwrights in Colour project is progressing well albeit slower than I intended. Currently in the gallery there are 15 completed fells fully framed and on display and awaiting collection.

This is quite and unusual situation as normally once a fell has been completed and I inform the customer the work is collected right away.

Of course these fells are all sold so now is a good time to call into the gallery to see these fells before they go to the customers homes. If you are not able to call in then do take a look at the website where the work can be viewed.

A Damp Castle Crag

 An early start was called for so that I could deliver a couple of the completed Wainwright in Colour Fells this morning. Fortunately the deliveries were over in the Borrowdale area so I was able to incorporate a walk with the plan. The weather forecast was pretty poor so I opted for a simple low level route to Castle Crag. At about 8am the low cloud looked as if it would spoil my chances of even obtaining the one reference that I was after today. This was a reference which I should of ticked off on my previous visit to Castle Crag a while ago but due to the fact the subject was from a completely different fell I missed the connection.
 So today I would hopefully get the shot and also give Bailey the chance to tick off another Wainwright.

On Castle Crag.

As can be seen from the picture, the low cloud had been matched with rain by the time we reached the summit. On clear days there are fine views from here of both Borrowdale and to the north but today we were shrouded in mist. never mind, there is always another day and besides, I did get my reference!

Recording the changes

  One of the most often asked questions to me regarding the Wainwrights in Colour project is "Have you seen many changes since AW's day?" The usual answwer to this is "tree growth" in many of the views where AW indicated small trees in the foreground these have now usually grown up to such a height that they can obscure the view in part or in full. On other ocassions there is evidence that the rock scenery has changed with portions of crags having broken away to change the profile of the rocks face. The most dramatic of this so far has been on Gavel Pike, Seat Sandal.
  However, in a painting that I have completed today there is evidence where man's intervention has "re-shaped" the rocks. It is on the summit of Gowbarrow Fell. In the early '50's the summit sported a small pile of stones as the summit cairn, nowadays these rocks have been gathered together and formed into a Trig Point. In the past I hadn't taken much notice of these columns and for some reason assumed that they were constructed around the first few decades of the 20th Century. Obviously not, and with a bit of research it appears that they continued to appear right up until 1962.

Gowbarrow Fell.

What makes Gowbarrow fell unique in all of the 214 fells is the fact that this is the only fell where since AW's visit the cairn has been replaced by a Trig Point. it also gets sketched twice, once for here in the Gowbarrow Fell chapter and once again in the Little Mell Fell chapter.

Sunday evening on Sheffield Pike

As the forecast for the start of the coming week doesn't look too promising I took the dogs once again over to the eastern fells for a walk. Like all of my routes at this time nothing is hap-hazard but planned to obtain as many of the remaining references as possible in the quickest amount of time. Todays route was no different and if things went according to plan I would get the remaining references for three fells.

 The full details of this route are now online with the photos at http://www.theteesdalegallery.co.uk/ but basically it was a start at Glencoyne, up the valley to Nick Head, drop down to the old Sticks Reservoir, back up to Sheffield Pike, across to Glenridding Dodd (just so Bailey could tick off another fell!) and then back to the car in Glencoyne past the quiet cottages at Seldom Seen.
 All in all it was a good walk out, unfortunately the evening sun failed to appear and I did fail to get one reference but it was well worth the trip over.