First Friday Walks Gallery – Walking the Land

First Friday Walk | January 6th 2012 | by Purton Wrecks along the River Severn | cold North Westerly wind, weak sunshine

a Walking the Land image | Kel Portman | Severn, looking north

First Friday Walk | December 2nd 2011 | from Stroud, above Hawkwood to Folly Wood | cold with broken cloud

images: Walking the Land/Richard Keating

First Friday Walk | May 6th 2011 from Stroud, west along the river Frome | clear, bright and sunny

image: ‘River Frome, Shadow drawing’ Walking the Land/Kel Portman

First Friday Walk | March 4th 2011 from The Vine Tree, Randwick – up through Randwick Woods | clear, bright and sunny
• click to see Claire Spelling’s Gallery

image: Randwick. Walking the Land/Kel Portman

First Friday Walk | December 3rd 2010 | from Stroud along the River Frome and Stroudwater Canal the up through the Heavens | cold and frosty

images: Walking the Land/Kel Portman

First Friday Walk | November 5th 2010 | from the Edgemoor Inn and up over Edge Common | heavy rain and mist

7 walked out – in the rain – by Anna Knight

soaking to saturation

only sound

talk talk

mixing discussion relating

and the rain

and the shuffle through leaves

orange sepia ochres russets

beech oak sycamore

slippery roots

and the rain washed scent of yew

black barked beech

arms reaching upwards

strangling ivy

bark marked by its absence

shouting above the Friday noise

lorries cars too close for comfort

‘why aren’t they all at work!”

and still the sound of the rain and words –

no birds to be seen –

except the barn owl

surprised by the invasion at the base of HIS oak

1000 years old… with all it had to offer

manacled with chains

a history on its own –

to wonder about –

thumbs up from the builders

gay purple steps

up and over

spying into silent unlit houses

mown lawns competing for straight lines

badger runs down steep banks to tarmac

paw marks awash with mud

mixed dairy, calves afoot

disgruntled with our presence

glad no dog

I did not hear the donkeys bray

but saw the rolling northern mist

luminous lines of field maple

berries bright against the grey –

dripping

drawings wet in pocket

to dry out in the warmth

of home

Thank you, Kel and Richard

First Friday Walk 4 | April 2nd 2010 from The Edgemoor Inn in Edge

A day of showers, sunshine and rainbows. Up over the SSSI of Edge Common to Scottsquarr Hill, then through dense beechwoods at Maitland Wood. Overlooking Stroud, Rodborough and Michenhampton Common, we dropped down through more woodland tracks with emerging bluebells and wild garlic, finally returning to Edge, tea and cake.
Artist’s Galleries
Kel Portman’s Gallery

First Friday Walk 3 | February 5th 2010 from The Black Horse in Amberley
We dropped down quite steeply onto a well trodden path along the escarpment clad beechwoods overlooking Woodchester before climbing up onto Minchinhampton Common from where we had far reaching views over Stroud, along the Chalford Valley, over Nailsworth and along the Woodchester Valley. We then followed iron age earthworks before returning via the picturesque hill village of Amberley.
Artist’s Galleries

Kel Portman’s Gallery

Richard Keating’s Gallery

Ian Peter’s Gallery

Lucy Guenot’s Gallery

Lucy Guenot’s Gallery2

Tom Keating’s Gallery

John West’s Gallery

First Friday Walk 2 | 4th December 2009
We walked along some of Stroud’s rivers and canal, very much a Stroud Water Walk, we experienced decay and change as we walked on paths that marked the edges of wild, urban and industrial.