When I was seven we moved from Beckenham, Kent (which is now Greater London) to Downe, Kent the home of Charles Darwin. Back then it was known as the first genuine village outside of London and I was in heaven!! The village itself was the stuff of “Darling Buds of May”. I adored the countryside and roamed free along with my dog.
I was also very privileged that my parents had a holiday home on the coast in Salcombe, Devon. There, I also roamed free in a boat called “Cecily” and it was where my love affair with the sea started.
As an adult I lived in the country till seven years ago, when we moved to a former fishing village on the Kent coast. I adore the sea but have to admit to having missed being in the middle of the countryside. I count myself incredibly lucky therefore, to be able to stay in my brother’s beautiful rural period cottage. He has recently bought it and I can go there whenever I like, while he is out of the country (about 7 months of the year). It is just under 3 miles away and I am loving it. Now I have the best of both worlds – coast and country!!
The paintings below are inspired by the surrounding landscape near my brother’s cottage.
“Spring Fields” Oil on board
“Spring Lane” Oil on canvas
Nikki Wheeler Paintings 
I’m so in love with both paintings. The “Spring Fields” really speaks to me. It must be the color palette, since it’s quite similar to what’s outside my window here in Oregon. 😀
Thank you so much Gale for your very kind comments 🙂 How interesting that it’s similar to Oregon! Do you look out on fields from your house?
In our area, we have acres and acres of farmland. Mainly grass seed farms that occupy the flats, christmas trees heading towards the mountains and iron rich soils. I live in a hilly zone permeated by grass seed too. My back yard sloped down to a creek and the hill opposite has been a grass seed farm well before I moved here over 17 years ago. I love all your dense hedgerows with bracken ferns and other life. We don’t have that sort of thing.
🙂