Oil painting of an allotment is Pilton Somerset

Description

The framed painting of an allotment is Pilton, Somerset is 18cm x 26cm  not including the frame size.

Unfolding my easel, I looked about for a few minutes. I have discovered that you must be quick in choosing. Looking for ‘the perfect view’ is like looking for ‘the perfect partner’, you tend to end up with nothing.

I set up looking down to the stream, catching in the facing hill with the trees along the ridge at the back. I had the bonus of a flock of sheep too. Sheep seem stationary creatures when you look at them, though painting them you notice they move about all the time. I set to work.

It was October although it was warm, almost like early summer. The trees were still in full leaf, with the company of a butterfly which flitted and danced about as I worked.

I was pretty happy with the result and it seeded (sorry for the pun) and idea for a larger painting.
I concluded that Painting the Pilton allotments was the ideal antidote to jet lag and the ferocious ‘New York Minute’.

A bit of history of Pilton Somerset

Though there has been a church on the current site since 725, Pilton is first is mentioned in The Doomsday book (commissioned by William I) and later administered by the monks of Glastonbury Abbey which is a few miles up the road.

Their vast Tithe Barn still survives to this day. The Glastonbury monks however did not survive as Henry VIII got rid of the lot of them during the reformation in the 16th Century.

Many of the local houses are built from the local blue lias stone. This stone pops up out of the ground with every ploughing, so I suppose it was used as a necessity though its very tough stuff and we have structures in Pilton that have been there for well over 500 years.

The other notable thing about Pilton is that it is the home of The Glastonbury Festival where our modest parish of 900 swells to over 200,00 for a week or more in June. Incredible for music and incredible for takeaway food too.