Oil painting across the Thames, Cookham to a house & boathouse

Over A very hot few days I decided to take a trip out to Berkshire to the village of Cookham on the river Thames.

This scene is a view across the Thames to a rather swanky house and boathouse. It was a relaxing shady spot to paint whilst watching the barges and canoes go by.

Cookham is celebrated as the lifelong home and muse of one of my most favourite painter’s Sir Stanley Spencer. He spent most of his life painting around Cookham and the surrounding villages and if you’re a fan like me you see his paintings all over the place.

In the centre of Cookham, just a short walk from his house you will find the The Stanley Spencer Gallery which showcases over 100 of his works. It is a real treat to see, and wonderfully airconditioned escape from the 34-degree heat outside.

Interestingly, Cookham also inspired Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows during his time at Cookham Dean, with nearby Quarry Wood thought to be the original “Wild Wood”