A Sheep in the Sun

Having already painted 'Star Grazer' for the Go Herdwick project, I was surprised and very pleased when Paula and Graham, the owners of  Lingmoor Guest House in Windermere who are sponsoring one of the ewes, asked me to create and paint a design for them.

The theme they requested was a celebration of the beauty of Cumbria through all the seasons, a sentiment that had prompted them to buy their guest house which they viewed whilst taking part in the TV programme 'A Place in the Sun'.

Featuring some of the many things Cumbria is famous for, 'A Sheep in the sun' shows daffodils, a Herdwick lamb, a red squirrel and a little rabbit sleepily enjoying the sunshine. Even the ewe herself seems to be nodding off , A sheep in the sun, asleep in the sun!

The design took several weeks to paint, using the acrylic as glazes to build up layers for a depth and luminosity of colour.

The #GoHerdwick trail of 60 decorated ewes will start on Good Friday 25th March, and will also be joined later in the year on 27th May by a 'Hide and Seek' trail of 30 lambs. For more information visit Go Herdwick.

Funds raised by the sale of the sculptures in the autumn will go to the Calvert Trust's campaign to raise £1.3 million to redevelop their Old Windbrowe site in Keswick. The Trust provides specialised outdoor adventure challenges for people with disabilities.

Celebrating Cumbria in all seasons, 'A Sheep in the sun' is for everyone living or visiting here, their dream place in the sun'  #cumbriaisopen #placetobe