Shades of Autumn, Chee Dale

“Parking at Miller’s Dale one sunny October day, my wife and I walked along Chee Dale and I stopped several times along the way to sketch studies of the reflections in the river.

We stopped to eat our lunch at a foot bridge about a mile up the River Wye and were surrounded by every shade of gold. The warm October sunshine lit up the valley so that the trees and reflections were incredibly bright.

Wandering upstream, a series of weirs along the river create both still and fast flowing sections of the water. The brightly coloured beech trees high on the hillside reflected beautifully in the calmer sections of the river.

I love the challenge of painting such a colourful scene as this and Chee Dale has become one of my favourite places to go in the autumn.”

Rex Preston