A full day out... starting in the woods and ending back at Christmas???

A 462 mile round trip yesterday with the odd break while delivering paintings, some subject finding and a spell at the Spring Fair which was on it's final day.

Having had a wonderful view of a Barn Own hunting in the early light this was the sunrise in the Surrey Woods - time to start work!!! As others headed to their work, this was my location for a while. Just enough breeze to make it bitterly cold, frozen ground and a light frost.

Two hours later, exploring one of the river banks... some really nice highlights and refection's now there was more light, not much warmer though as the wind had increased and some cloud coming over.

More interesting trees along the valley bottom, really like the sky at this time - changing almost by the minute... while trains rush past the back of me on their way into London.

Back to the car and a drive north to the Spring Fair at the N.E.C. (National Exhibition Centre) on the outskirts of Birmingham. Hall 4 was Greeting and Stationery, Art and Framing. The art section is now somewhat smaller than it was a few years ago. This isn't a 'art materials' show, although there is a small artists area (aiming to sell to gallery owners etc), it's reproduction companies (but as mentioned not as many as before) selling to art galleries their limited edition prints, greeting card companies selling to galleries & shops etc. The variety of greeting cards was huge both in the number of companies and of style/subjects. Most of the main picture framing companies had stands - moulding and framing equipment on show...

One of the things about the Spring Fair is that within a few feet (or another of the many halls) you can be in a different market sector and other companies trying to sell their goods. On my way out, it was through fancy dress costumes, firework companies, toys from plain wooden to animated dinosaurs and then back into Christmas with stuff we'll all see in the shops later this year being ordered....