A sheep in the Cumbrian sun

It's lovely to see all the photos and kind comments from sheep spotters in Cumbria who are enjoying 'A Sheep in the Sun' on the GoHerdwick trail.

Sponsored by the Lingmoor Guest House , this ewe reminds people that Cumbria is a beautiful place all year round, and celebrates the owners finding their own perfect place in the sun in Windermere.

The Go Herdwick trail continues throughout the summer until 4th September. The ewes will then be auctioned to raise money towards the Calvert Trust's £1.3 million target to help redevelop the Old Windbrowe site in Keswick.

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

Go Betty!

Betty ( Star Grazer) the Herdwick ewe, finally has her fleece of 'stars' ready to take her place at the  Lake District Calvert Trust  Charity Ball at Low Wood Bay Hotel, Windermere on Friday 11th September.

Local businesses and individuals are invited to bid to sponsor her, and kick off the Go Herwick public art project, which will be introduced by a special guest, the 'Herdy Shepherd' James Rebanks.
Star Grazer is billed as Lot 10 in the grand auction, early bids can be placed on-line here by midnight on 10th September to get the fundraising rolling!

My design features a colourful close up view of typical Cumbrian meadow plants and insects. The grasses and plants follow the form of the beautiful thick fleece of a Herdwick ewe.

Wild flower meadows and grassland are an intrinsic part of Britain's landscape and its agriculture and yet a staggering 97% of Wild flower meadows have been lost since 1930 leaving only 1% of the UK covered by species rich grassland. With careful management of this environment Sheep help wild plants germinate, as they trample the seeds into the earth.