Fountains By Water, by Peter Hicks, on show at Fountains Abbey. All pictures: Joe Cornish
THE National Trust is extending this summer’s run of Peter Hicks’s exhibition, Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal – A Landscape Painter’s Perspective, to September 15.
On show is a collection of works painted in response to the John and William Aislabie-designed landscapes of Fountains Abbey and the Studley Royal Water Garden during Hicks’s residency in 2023.
Commissioned by the National Trust, the Yorkshire landscape artist’s paintings, studies and sketchbooks are on display in Fountains Mill.
Born in Osgodby, near Selby, Hicks has lived and worked for most of his life on the North York Moors close to the Yorkshire coast. Now in his eighties, he continues to be inspired by the drama and immense scale of the British landscape.
Peter Hicks with his painting materials in his North York Moors studio
“The chance to work at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal late in life surprised me,” says Peter. “Then it became a chance to explore a vision of my own in a place rich with promise to a painter crossing from the 20th to the 21st century, heavy with freedoms and procedures and the practical choices newly open to me.
“Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal may not have needed me to speak about its rich heritage and landscape vistas, but I have come to see that it has given me a chance to explore landscape and waterways in my own choice of texture, colour and use of material and pictorial language.
“This is all at a time when I might be expected to be slowing down concerning my painter’s practice. It has been said of me, however, that in fact this opportunity has come when I am at the height of my ongoing fulfilment. What a wonderful hope and promise.”
By The River, Studley Royal, by Peter Hicks
Hicks works in abstract landscapes with acrylic washes on canvas and board, making his own benches and brush handles and using humble and accessible materials, such as old margarine pots for mixing his paints, as well as upcycling old jewellery boxes into paint boxes.
To illustrate this, the exhibition features selected studio objects, such as paint pots and brushes, testimonials from Hicks about his creative process, and his own workbench.
General manager Justin Scully says: “I first met Peter in July 2022, when he had been invited to Fountains Abbey by renowned landscape photographer Joe Cornish. Peter was reminiscing that he had sketched here many years ago and I politely said that it was time for him to visit us again. From such a brief conversation came great things.
“As it has always done, this special place captures an artist’s imagination. The commission has created much more work than we ever intended but, to my mind, it has also captured Peter’s personality itself and his very particular aesthetic.
“This opportunity has come when I am at the height of my ongoing fulfilment,” says Peter Hicks. “What a wonderful hope and promise“
“Peter’s studio in the North York Moors is inspirational; it embodies his way of working, his approach to his art, and we have tried to give some hint of this in the exhibition. Peter has completely understood and captured our spirit of place as both a garden and a romantic ruin, but also the way the iconic image of the abbey itself is part of our Yorkshire identity.”
Justin concludes: “As part of a programme of contemporary art commissions stretching back to 2015, it shows the role Fountains can play in supporting artists but also how art can add to a deeper love and understanding of this place for our visitors.”
The exhibition was scheduled to close on August 11 but will now run for an extra month. Artwork is on display in the Tabernacle at Studley Lake in the water garden too.
Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, near Ripon, is open all year round. Summer opening hours: 10am to 4.30pm; car parks close at 6.30pm. Normal admission applies for the exhibition; entry is free for National Trust members and under-fives. Tickets: nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/yorkshire/fountains-abbey-and-studley-royal-water-garden.
Lunchbreak at harvest time, by Valerie Mather, from Fields, Folds and Farming Life at Nunnington Hall
FIELDS, Folds and Farming Life, Nunnington Hall’s exhibition by Yorkshire documentary, travel and portrait photographer Valerie Mather, captures candid moments from a year in the lives of upland farmers in Bransdale on the North York Moors.
“Photography has the power to capture a moment in history, and my hope is that these images paint a picture of the spirit, stoicism and joy of these local farming families and communities today,” says Valerie, a former lawyer. “I wish to share some of the joy and inspiration about farming and nature that I discovered from my year in Bransdale.”
Bransdale, one of the North York Moors’ most isolated valleys with high moors on all sides, is cared for by the tenant-custodian farmers, the National Trust and its volunteers alongside the National Park authority.
The combination of Valerie’s work and specially produced films and artwork reveals the hard work and determination of the farming community in navigating the ever-changing agricultural world to achieve a better farming future for people, the environment and wildlife.
Smiles in the show ring, by Valerie Mather
Here Valerie answers CharlesHutchPress’s questions on photography, farmers and the future of farming
Speaking with the Dowsland family, from Moor Houses, Bransdale, their first concern was whether you would be ‘getting in the way of their daily routines’, but they grew quickly to enjoy your visits. “Oh, Val’s at the breakfast table again”! How do you build up that bond of trust with your subjects, especially when farmers can be taciturn?!
“I think being genuinely interested in the people I photograph goes a long way towards getting people comfortable. Also, helping out where needed. I helped out on a gathering in of some 300 sheep from the moor when one of the families was shorthanded, instructed by Nathan, their young son!”
If the two public views of farmers are that they are either “problematic” or “like on Channel 5” in the Amanda Owen and All Creatures Great And Small series, how have you set about changing those perspectives/misconceptions?
“Documentary photography is, for me, all about genuinely candid unposed moments, as opposed to posed portraits. There is no make-up or dress rehearsal! I am inspired by certain quotes and one of my favourites is by Paul Caponigro: ‘It’s one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like; it’s another thing to make a portrait of who they are’. That is what interests me as a photographer, no matter how much longer it takes in order to capture a genuine moment.”
Curlew on the moors, by Valerie Mather
Where does a traditional Yorkshire moorland farming community fit into increasingly fractured, no-sense-of- community-anymore Britain?
“I was initially drawn to document the farming community in my area when I attended a local agricultural show in the summer of 2019 and witnessed what a strong sense of community there is amongst farmers.
“I think documentary photography plays an important role, telling stories and allowing us an insight into communities other than our own. Through that we can hopefully appreciate how we all have a place in the world and have a greater understanding of other points of view.”
What did you learn from your previous lowland farming photography project that you could put to good effect in this upland series?
“Patience and pacing my energy levels. Farmers work long hours and staying in the moment requires concentration, otherwise something magical happens and you miss it, like the birth of a lamb for example.”
The yearning and the yawning: the joys of showing sheep start young, by Valerie Mather
What are the characteristics of upland farming that struck you the most?
“That the animals live outside most of the year and roam free on the moors but are ‘bound’ to stay in certain areas via ‘invisible boundaries’, which the farmers call ‘hefting’.”
The bond between farmer and stock and farmer and land are both central to your exhibition. Discuss…
“One young farmer told me that he had spent a year working abroad and then lived for a spell in Kirkbymoorside, but eventually he had to return to the Bransdale valley he was born in. He used the phrase that he was ‘hefted to the land’.
“Whether you are born into it or not, in my experience, farming is a vocation and not simply a job.”
Sheep shearing on a Bransdale farm, by Valerie Mather
What did you discover in your upland farming encounters that most surprised you?
“I was surprised to learn that having a mix of cattle and sheep grazing on fields adjacent to moorland produces an ideal environment for ground-nesting birds by producing both long and short grass. Under-grazing (not enough livestock) or abandonment of pasture (no livestock at all) can lead to dense thatch, which is unsuitable for the endangered Curlew to nest amongst. Which means: no cattle, no Curlew.”
What is the future of upland farming?
“With only three per cent of farmers under the age of 35, our farming future is precarious across the country. Indeed, it was those alarming statistics that made me want to see for myself what life was like for smaller farmers in and around Yorkshire.
The next generation together: Boy and lamb on a Bransdale farm, by Valerie Mather
“Upland farmers have an important role to play in nature-friendly farming and the farmers I spent time with were actively engaged, for example, with breeding conservation initiatives for the endangered ground-nesting birds, such as the Lapwing and the Curlew.”
Do you have a favourite photograph in the exhibition?
“My personal reactions to the images are, of course, coloured by the emotions I felt when pressing the shutter each time and the engagement with my subjects on that particular day. An image that stands out for that reason was made during a lunchbreak from making silage on a scorching hot July day. The farm workers sat in the shade of their giant machines, eating sandwiches and laughing about how it beat sitting in an office.
Ewes’ round-up: Farmer, sheepdog and flock on the move, by Valerie Mather
“As talk turned to the rapidly rising costs of farming, their laughter and smiles gave way to silent contemplation. A reminder for me of the importance of valuing our British farming community and how shopping locally can make a difference.”
What will be your next documentary photography project?
“Too soon to say! I’ve been focused on this project for the past two years, so I need to take some time out, enjoy teaching my workshops, and wait for inspiration to strike. To make anything meaningful, one has to feel passionately about a subject.”
Fields, Folds and Farming Life, Nunnington Hall, Nunnington, near York, on show until December 17; 10.30am to 5pm, last entry at 4.15pm, with reduced winter hours from November 24. No booking is required; exhibition included in admission price at this National Trust property.
Valerie Mather’s notes on an exhibition
Documentary photographer Valerie Mather spent a year with her camera at Bransdale. Picture: Laura Kennedy
HOW DID THIS PROJECT OCCUR?
“My journey into the world of farming was originally inspired by an article in Country Life back in 2019, which said that only three per cent of UK farmers are under 35 and the average age is 59.
“These alarming statistics made me want to see for myself what life was like for small farms in Yorkshire, so I set out to build relationships and visit the farmers in my local area.
“That resulted in a book of black & white photographs in 2021, which led to the National Trust inviting me to spend a year exploring the working lives and environment of their tenant upland farmers in Bransdale, on the North York Moors.”
INSPIRATIONS
“I am inspired by the work of James Ravilious (son of the artist Eric) and his important photographic record of rural England in the 1970s.”
Ewe and lambs in a sunlit pen on a Bransdale farm, by Valerie Mather
PROJECT THEME
“The importance of balance between nature and farming and land management. Success relies on finding a balance in an ever-changing industry.”
WHY DID I WANT TO SHARE THIS PROJECT?
“Photography has the power to capture a moment in history and my hope is that people will enjoy the exhibition at Nunnington Hall and the accompanying book, available from www.valeriematherphotography.co.uk, and will recognise the importance of valuing our British farming community and how shopping locally can make a difference.”
ADVICE FOR OTHERS
“Today everyone has a camera in their phone. Digital photography means it doesn’t cost anything when you press the shutter. However, to make an image that another person might feel an emotional response to involves passion and understanding on the part of the photographer about their subject.
“One of my favourite quotations is: ‘It’s one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like; it’s another thing to make a portrait of who they are’.”
At work in the sheep pens, by Valerie Mather
BENEFITS OF PHOTOGRAPHY AND WORKSHOPS
“Photography can be very beneficial for our mental health and well-being. There is a lot of joy to be found in the world and a camera is a great way to share that joy with others.
“I love helping people to understand their camera through my workshops. There is a saying that the best camera is the one you have in your hand. I think it’s truer to say that the best camera is the one that you understand how to operate.
“We all know how to work our phones but few of us take the time to learn how to use our camera and get off the Auto settings.”
AI TECHNOLOGY/ROLE OF DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY TODAY
“The new AI technology may offer a multitude of artistic opportunities, but it does mean more than ever before that documentary photography has an important role to play in capturing our lives today and in asking the complex questions.
“There are no easy answers but if a photograph gets us to consider the questions in the first place it has done its job.”
Animal husbandry: Checking a sheep’s teeth, by Valerie Mather
The Nunnington dragon: “Slithering down the exhibition corridor” at Nunnington Hall
VISITORS to Nunnington Hall, near York, have until September 4 to help to determine the look of the Nunnington dragon as part of a story creation project in Ryedale.
Literacy specialist Rosie Barrett and artist Karen Thompson have been working with school groups and families to retell this folktale.
The story features in the Creatures Of Curiosity project, funded by grants from Arts Council England and Ryedale District Council, to encourage young people to engage with stories rooted in local places.
“There are some fascinating stories from the region, but the dragon has really captured imagination,” says Rosie. “Lots of regions have their own version of a dragon story, but most of us have only really heard of the most famous dragons – those featured in stories such as The Hobbit, for example, or Beowulf.
The Nunnington dragon’s head at the Creatures Of Curiosity exhibition at Nunnington Hall
“The project was a great opportunity to engage Ryedale people with our own dragon and find out a bit more about it.”
Rosie and Karen took their retelling of the story into schools in Ryedale to gauge their responses, inviting children to create their own illustrations and writing. “They had very strong ideas,” says Rosie.
“The original folktale has a devastatingly sad ending. We asked the children about it and how we should tell this element. We thought they’d want a happy ending and were surprised by their stoicism!”
Artist Karen illustrated the dragon based on the children’s ideas and consequently it slithers down the exhibition corridor. “The children helped us to get an idea of what the dragon should look like at the exhibition,” she says. “Based on details in the story, they were quite clear that the dragon should be long and worm-like.”
Scale drawing: Nunnington Hall visitors can add to the design of the dragon’s body and tail
Now Rosie and Karen are inviting more visitors to participate by creating a scale to go on the dragon’s body and tail.
“It’s been fantastic to see the dragon develop over the summer, but we’ve only got until September 4 to get enough scales to finish it,” says Karen. “We’re really hoping it will be complete by the end of the exhibition.”
Other stories featured in the Creatures Of Curiosity exhibition at the National Trust property include moorland myths about “hobs”, the secretive and mischievous creatures believed to have helped around farms and houses on the North York Moors, and an original tale based on the prehistoric creatures whose fossil remains were found at Kirkdale Caves.
Look out too for artwork by children’s author and illustrator Tim Hopgood, who has illustrated the Kirkdale creatures, such as hyenas, lions and long-tusk elephants, once native to the region, and for sensory textile creations by Wanda Szajna-Hopgood, based on Tim’s illustrations, that showcase the story of the Kirkdale Caves. Artwork by schoolchildren is on display too.
A close-up of the Nunnington dragonat Nunnington Hall
Based on a range of real and mythological creatures from the Ryedale area, the exhibition pulls together history, archaeology, science and folklore. The real creatures are themselves in some ways fantastical: creatures that lived there during the Ice Age, including mammoths, hyenas and giant deer.
The exhibition offers the opportunity to explore how local myths were created and how even real stories can take on mythical status.
On August 25 comes the chance to join Dr Liam Herringshaw, from the Fossil Roadshow and Scarborough Museums, to learn about fascinating fossils. Hands-on art and storytelling activities will take place on August 30 from 11am to 3pm.
Find out more at: nationaltrust.org.uk/nunnington-hall/features/exhibitions-at-nunnington-hall.
Steve Messam’s inflatable installation Portico, from a distance looking like flickering flames consuming York Art Gallery, Exhibition Square, York. Copyright: York Art Gallery
WHAT exactly is that orange spiky inflatable thing nesting on York Art Gallery’s frontage all of a sudden?
The answer is Steve Messam’s Portico, one of the shortlisted works for the Aesthetica Art Prize 2022 exhibition that opens today.
The County Durham environmental artist’s temporary installation exploits colour and scale, “creating a moment of interruption in the familiar”, in the manner of These Passing Things, Messam’s series of installations for the National Trust at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, near Ripon, from last July to October.
Messam’s bold and large-scale installations “uncover layers of narrative within the landscape, drawing on existing uses of the land and architecture, reflecting an understanding of the geological, cultural and agricultural practices used to shape it”.
Messam says: “Portico changes the way people look at York Art Gallery, temporarily transforming the front of the building and the way people use the space. You can see it from the city walls, the open-top buses, and you can come sit and have your lunch outside and enjoy it too. I love how many people have been stopping to take photos already.”
Cherie Federico, Aesthetica Art Prize curator and director, says: “As a curator, installing Steve Messam’s Portico is truly inspirational. The marriage between the historic and contemporary creates a feeling of surprise, awe, and contemplation.
“You start look at the building with fresh eyes and the gallery is transformed. Portico is a surprise and makes you feel good. The bold colour and spikes ignite the imagination.”
York Museums Trust is urging people to share their photos of Portico by tagging York Art Gallery and Aesthetica Magazine on Instagram and Twitter.
The winners of the Aesthetica Art Prize – York’s international contemporary art competition, now in its 15th year – were announced last night when Baff Akoto won the main prize and Yukako Tanaka received the Emerging Artist prize.
Running until September 18 in one of York Art Gallery’s ground-floor galleries, the 2022 exhibition by the 20 finalists invites audiences to explore, discover and engage with themes from our rapidly changing world.
This year’s finalists hail from Argentina, France, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Great Britain and the United States, and their works is equally diverse, spanning painting and drawing; photography and digital art; three-dimensional design and sculpture; installation, performance and video art.
On show are works by winners Akoto and Tanaka and fellow finalists Messam; Sophie Dixon; Elise Guillaume; Rebecca Lejić-Tiernan; Sarah Maple; Guen Murroni; Bart Price; Jason Bruges Studio; Sara Choudhrey; Akihiro Boujoh; Ulf König; Marcus Lyon; Ellen Carey; Gjert Rognli; Omar Torres; Ingrid Weyland; K Young and Terrence Musekiwa.
Morgan Feely, senior curator at York Art Gallery, says: “It’s a pleasure to host the Aesthetica Art Prize 2022. I hope people will be inspired by the transformation of the exterior of the gallery and come in to see the full stunning exhibition, which is free to see.
“This year’s Aesthetica Art Prize runs alongside our new exhibition Body Vessel Clay: Black Women, Ceramics & Contemporary Art. Together, they show our commitment to celebrating new art at York Art Gallery.”
Gallery opening hours are 11am to 5pm, Wednesday to Sunday. Admission to the Aesthetica Art Prize exhibition and the gallery’s permanent collections is free.
Kinky Sex: Grayson Perry’s first ceramic plate in 1983
GRAYSON Perry’s lockdown-delayed “lost pots” exhibition at York Art Gallery, The Pre-Therapy Years, will run from May 28 to September 5.
This touring show will be held in the Centre of Ceramic Art (CoCA) in the first celebration of Perry’s earliest forays into the art world.
“This show has been such a joy to put together,” said Perry, when the show was first announced for a June 12 to September 20 run in York in 2020 until the pandemic intervened. “I’m really looking forward to seeing these early works again, many of which I have not seen since the Eighties.
“It’s as near as I will ever get to meeting myself as a young man, an angrier, priapic me with huge energy but a much smaller wardrobe.”
Cocktail Party, 1989, by Grayson Perry-
Developed by the Holburne Museum in Bath, The Pre-Therapy Years re-introduces the explosive and creative works the Chelmsford-born artist made between 1982 and 1994.
Gathering the 70 works has been facilitated by crowd-sourcing through a national public appeal, resulting in the “lost pots” being put on display together for the first time since they were made.
Dr Helen Walsh, curator of ceramics at York Art Gallery, says: “We are delighted to be showcasing the ground-breaking early works of such a renowned and influential artist.
“It is fascinating to see how his craft has progressed and evolved since he began working as an artist. His early ceramic works show that the distinctive style, themes and characters have always been central in his decoration.”
Armageddon Feels So Very Reassuring, 1988, by Grayson Perry
Helen continues: “To be able to bring these works together for public display, many of which are usually hidden away in private collections, is absolutely thrilling.
“We are very much looking forward to seeing Grayson Perry’s ceramic works displayed in the beautiful Centre of Ceramic Art at York Art Gallery alongside our own collection of British studio ceramics.”
Grayson Perry: The Pre-Therapy Years will shine a light on Perry’s experimentation and exploration of the potential of pottery to address radical issues and human stories.
The exhibition “represents a unique opportunity to enjoy the artist’s clever, playful and politically-engaged perspective on the world”. Often challenging and explicit, these works reveal the early development of Perry’s distinctive voice that has established him as one of the most compelling commentators on contemporary society.
Essex, by Grayson Perry
Explaining how The Pre-Therapy Years came together, curator Catrin Jones says: “When we proposed the exhibition, Grayson responded really positively because, he said, ‘no-one knows where those works are’.
“So, we asked the public and were absolutely overwhelmed by the response. What followed was an extraordinary process of rediscovery as we were contacted by collectors, enthusiasts and friends, who collectively held over 150 of his early works.”
The first task was to process photos of the pots, plates and drawings that arrived in the inbox, followed by asking all manner of questions about the works and from where they came.
“We logged all the pottery marks and provenance information, as well as the wonderful stories of how their owner came to have a genuine Grayson Perry,” says Catrin.
Meaningless Symbols, 1993, by Grayson Perry
She and her team next sat down with Perry to look through the extraordinary and varied selection of artworks. During this process, he remarked that seeing the works again was a powerful reminder of his “pre-therapy years”, and an exhibition title was born.
The show begins with Perry’s early collaged sketchbooks, experimental films and sculptures, capturing his move into using ceramics as his primary medium. From his first plate, Kinky Sex (1983), to his early vases made in the mid-1980s, Perry riffed on British vernacular traditions to create a language of his own.
The themes of his later work – fetishism, gender, class, his home county of Essex and the vagaries of the art world – appear in works of explosive energy. Although the majority of his output consisted of vases and plates, Perry’s early experiments with form demonstrate the variety of shapes he produced: Toby jugs, perfume bottles, porringers, funeral urns and gargoyle heads.
Grayson Perry: The Pre-Therapy Years begins in 1982, when Perry was first working as an artist and then charts his progress to the mid-1990s, when he became established in the mainstream London art scene.
“It’s as near as I will ever get to meeting myself as a young man, an angrier, priapic me with huge energy but a much smaller wardrobe,” says Grayson Perry of his exhibition, The Pre-Therapy Years
The exhibition provides a snapshot of a very British time and place, revealing the transition of Grayson’s style, starting out with playful riffs on historic art, such as old Staffordshire pottery, along with crowns (the mixed-media Crown Of Penii, 1982) and thrones (Saint Diana, Let Them Eat S**t, 1984), inspired by his fascination with Princess Diana.
Gradually, he progressed into a style that is patently his own: plates and vases rich with detail that tell tales of our times and experiences, such as 1989’s Cocktail Party.
Much of the iconography of Perry’s output has an angry, post-punk, deeply ironic leaning, combining cosy imagery with shocking sexual or political content.
Many of the works displayed in The Pre-Therapy Years tell a very personal story, particularly in the evolution of Claire, who first appeared in the early 1980s, inspired by such powerful women as television newsreaders and Princess Diana, rather than the exuberant child-like figure Perry created after her “coming out” party in 2000.
The Pre-Therapy Years will shine a light on Grayson Perry’s experimentation and exploration of the potential of pottery to address radical issues and human stories
Accompanying the rediscovery of Perry’s artworks, the Holburne Museum is illustrating the exhibition with photos and snapshots of the era, again sharing hitherto unseen glimpses of Perry as he journeyed from angry, ironic young artist to one of British art’s best-loved figures.
After completing his art degree in Portsmouth in 1982, Perry moved to London and lived in a Camden squat with the singer Marilyn and Welsh conceptual artist Cerith Wyn Evans, collectively enjoying creative freedom while sharing limited resources.
During these early years, Perry encountered the Neo Naturists, a group of freewheeling performance artists, whose visual and creative approach would have a profound impact on him.
CoCA first exhibited a Grayson Perry ceramic, Melanie, in July 2015 as its centrepiece talking point after York Art Gallery’s £8 million transformation.
Grayson Perry’s Melanie, first exhibited at York Gallery in July 2015
Melanie is one of three women from his Three Graces work, joined by Georgina and Sarah in the Miss Plus Size Competition.
“First seen in Grayson’s Who Are You? documentary, Melanie is a voluptuous figurative piece with a strong narrative that discusses the changing view of what constitutes feminine beauty,” said curator of ceramics Helen Walsh on its arrival.
Perry commented on his Three Graces: “In the history of sculpture, female forms such as these were often seen as fertility goddesses to be prayed to for children and plentiful harvests. Nowadays, we are more likely to see a growing health problem.”
Melanie featured subsequently in York Art Gallery’s re-opening exhibition, Your Art Gallery – Paintings Chosen By You, from August 20 last year.
In All Its Familiarity Golden, one of Grayson Perry’s Stitching The Past Together tapestries shown at Nunnington Hall, near Helmsley
In May 2014, accompanied by his childhood teddy bear Alan Measles, Perry opened the Meet The Museums Bears special event in the York Museum Gardens in full transvestite regalia as part of York Museums Trust’s contribution to the Connect 10 Museums At Night national celebration.
Last year, from February 8, Perry’s Stitching The Past Together tapestries went on show at Nunnington Hall, near Helmsley. Out went the National Trust country house’s 17th century Verdure tapestries for conservation work; in came a pair of Grayson’s typically colourful and thought-provoking Essex House Tapestries: The Life Of Julie Cope (2015).
Hanging in an historic setting for the first time, in the Nunnington Hall drawing room, this brace of large-scale, striking works tells the story of Julie Cope, a fictitious Essex “everywoman” created by the irreverent Chelmsford-born Perry.
2003 Turner Prize winner Perry kept himself busy in Lockdown 1 by launching Grayson’s Art Club, his pledge to “battle the boredom” of the lockdown through art, in a six-part series on Channel 4 from April 27 2020 that attracted a million viewers a week.
“You’ll leave safe and warm in the knowledge that nothing really matters anyway,” promises Grayson Perry, as he looks forward to his 2021 tour, Grayson Perry: A Show For Normal People
From his London workshop, the Essex transvestite artist, potter, broadcaster and writer took viewers on a journey of artistic discovery in themed shows designed to “encourage you to make your own work in the new normal of isolation”.
Grayson’s Art Club has returned for an on-going second series, presented by Perry in tandem with his wife, the author, psychotherapist and broadcaster Philippa Perry.
Looking ahead, outré artist and social commentator Perry has a York-bound live show in the late-summer.
In his own words: Despite being an award-winning artist, Bafta-winning TV presenter, Reith lecturer and best-selling author, Grayson Perry is a normal person – and just like other normal people, he is “marginally aware that we’re all going to die”.
Cue Grayson Perry: A Show For Normal People, booked into York Barbican for September 6 on night number five of this year’s 23-date tour. Sheffield City Hall awaits on September 10; Harrogate Convention Centre on November 27.
The tour poster for Grayson Perry: A Show For Normal People
What will be on Perry’s mind? “Let Grayson take you through an enlightening and eye-watering evening in which this kind of existentialism descends from worthiness to silliness. You’ll leave safe and warm in the knowledge that nothing really matters anyway,” his show patter promises.
“Join Grayson as he asks, and possibly answers, these big questions in an evening sure to distract you from the very meaninglessness of life in the way only a man in a dress can.”
Perry, who turned 61 on March 24, has had an artistic career spanning 40 years, revealing a diverse expertise in “making lemonade out of the mundanity of life”. Such as? In 2015, he designed A House For Essex, a permanent building constructed in the North Essex countryside.
Last autumn, he presented Grayson Perry’s Big American Road Trip, a three-part documentary travelogue on Channel 4, exploring the meaning of the American Dream in today’s disunited United States of America.
Tickets for Grayson Perry: A Show For Normal People are on sale at yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Hare, there and everywhere: Whitby sculptor Emma Stothard surrounded by her 366 Leaping Hares at Nunnington Hall. Picture: Anthony Chappel-Ross
WHITBY sculptor Emma Stothard’s wildlife work has
come on leaps and bounds over the past year for her latest show at Nunnington
Hall, Nunnington, near Helmsley.
To mark 2020 being a leap year, she has created a
one-off installation of 366 Leaping Hares, one for each day of the year, combining
sculptures,
illustrations and paintings, all for sale, on display amid the historic
collection in the Smoking Room of the National Trust country house.
Alas, Nunnington Hall is now closed with effect from this Wednesday (May 18), in response to Government advice on the Coronavirus pandemic. “The safety of our staff, volunteers and visitors is our priority,” says senior visitor experience officer Laura Kennedy.
Out of the top drawer: four of Emma Stothard’s 366 Leaping Hares emerging from the Smoking Room furniture at Nunnington Hall. Picture: Anthony Chappel-Ross
Let’s take a leap of faith, however, beyond the month of the Mad March Hare
and leap ahead to later in the year when hopefully you can still see 366
Leaping Hares. “The idea came first, doing something for 2020, for Leap Year,
rather than responding to a particular space, and I thought ‘let’s do 366
hares’,” says Emma. “Given that number, I knew some would need to be small,
with some bigger ones for contrast.”
Emma spent the past year creating each work, whether clay, wire or willow
sculptures, textiles hangs and cushions, drawings and ceramic tiles.
All have been individually hand-finished and dated by the sculptor,
not least a special Leap Day Hare to mark Saturday, February 29. “Each of those
366 days is going to be special for someone – a birthday, an anniversary, maybe
even a proposal of marriage on the Leap Day itself!” says Emma.
Emma Stothard working in her studio on her 366 Leaping Hares. Picture: Tony Bartholomew
She has responded too to Nunnington Hall’s “rich sense of history”. “Generations
have lived here, and you can feel their presence in the furniture, the
wallpaper and the textiles,” she says.
Consequently, Emma’s installation explores the array of materials that
embodies the ever-changing architecture and fabric of the historic building,
while experimenting with contemporary methods too in her hotchpotch of hares
that range from four-foot willow sculptures to four-inch miniature wire and
clay collectables.
Placed by Emma amid the historic collection, some are in full view; others are in the Smoking Room’s hidden spaces, nooks and crannies, even emerging from drawers or to be spotted under furniture.
Hare, there, everywhere, yes, Emma loves hares. “They’re just so
wonderful to see, aren’t they,” she enthuses. “I see them quite a lot when I’m
walking across the fields with my dog.
Going to the wire: A close-up of Emma Stothard’s handiwork as she makes a hare. Picture: Tony Bartholomew
“I love spotting them because they’re so elusive, so quick moving. They’re
magical to sculpt, and it’s the same with roe deer. I find them fascinating, beautiful,
because you can never get that close to them.
“We’re steeped in their history and it feels a real privilege to be in their presence when they run out of front of me.”
The large number of hares required was the green light for Emma to
broaden her working practices. “Like casting in bronze for the first time. I’d
been recommended by (the late) Sally Arnup to use Aron McCartney, who has a
metal-casting foundry at Barnard Castle,
but there never came a time to be able to cast anything until now,” she says.
“Now that I have, hopefully we can continue with the relationship.”
Taking shape: hares lined up for the next stage of sculptor Emma Stothard’s creative process. Picture: Tony Bartholomew
This is not the first time that Nunnington Hall has had an impact on
Emma’s work. “I first exhibited here in 2012 on the Rievaulx Terrace, when I
was also commissioned to make my first wire sculpture of a horse, which you can
still see here,” she says. “They like to move it around the gardens to keep
people on their toes.
“The wire horse was the first time I moved away from working in willow and
has led me to doing more public commissions in wire and now bronze wire. There
are 12 little galvanized ones in the new exhibition, coated in zinc in the
galvanizing process.”
Her outdoor willow sculptures, meanwhile, must be treated at regular
intervals. “Think of it as a seasonal chore in the garden,” she says. “Four times
a year; 50 per cent linseed oil; 50 per cent Turps substitute, which is a
traditional way to protect the strength of the willow.
“There’s no reason you can’t get ten years out of them if you look after
them properly, as linseed oil builds a layer of varnish, like shellac. So, remember,
four times a year, once a season.”
Start counting: 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6….366 Leaping Hares in Nunnington Hall’s Smoking Room. Hope to see them again some time in 2020. Picture: Anthony Chappel-Ross
In Staithes, you can spot Emma’s coral and coronation blue lobsters, her 9ft marine crustaceans first exhibited in the Sculpture By The Sea exhibition at the 2015 Staithes Festival of Arts and Heritage, and now she has made Withernsea Crab, a three metre-high sculpture of a brown crab for the Withernsea Fish Trail.
Emma also had been working on sculptures for
Jardin Blanc at May’s now cancelled 2020 Chelsea Flower Show, her fourth such
commission for the hospitality area, where Raymond Blanc is the executive chef.
More Emma work, by the way, can be found at Blanc’s Oxfordshire restaurant, the
Belmond Le Manoir au Quat’Saisons.
At the time of this interview, Emma was on the cusp of signing a contract to create seven life-size sculptures celebrating Whitby’s fishing heritage on the east side of the East Coat harbour. ”I’m hoping to have the first piece installed in time for the Whitby Fish & Ships Festival in May,” she said. The 2020 festival has since been cancelled, but look out for Emma’s sculptures at the 2021 event on May 15 and 16 next spring.
Looking ahead, where would Emma most love to exhibit? “My dream is to do an exhibition at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park [at West Bretton, near Wakefield], particularly as I did my teacher-training there at Bretton Hall,” she says.
One final question for Emma: is it true that boxing hares are not male rivals scrapping over a female in hare-to-hare combat but in fact, contrary to myth, jack versus jill (as hares were known). “That’s right: it’s male against female, and in my boxing-hare couples, it’s always a female fending off a male,” she says.
As and when Nunnington Hall re-opens, Emma Stothard’s installation 366 Leaping
Hares would then be on view and on sale until November 1.
The Essex Tapestries: The Life of Julie Cope (2015) , by Grayson Perry, on the drawing room wall of Nunnington Hall from February 8
GRAYSON Perry will be Stitching The Past Together with
his tapestries at Nunnington Hall, near Helmsley, from February 8.
Out go the National Trust country house’s 17th century
Verdure tapestries for conservation work; in come the Essex transvestite artist,
potter, broadcaster and writer’s typically colourful and thought-provoking pair
of Essex House Tapestries: The Life of Julie Cope (2015).
Hanging in an historic setting for the first time
in the drawing room, this brace of large-scale, striking works tells the story of Julie
Cope, a fictitious Essex “everywoman” created by the irreverent Chelmsford-born
2003 Turner Prize winner.
The tapestries illustrate the key events in the heroine’s journey from
her birth during the Canvey Island floods of 1953 to her untimely death in a tragic
accident on a Colchester street.
Rich in cultural and architectural details, the tapestries contain a
social history of Essex and modern Britain that “everyone can relate to”.
These artworks represent, in Perry’s words, ‘the trials, tribulations,
celebrations and mistakes of an average life’.
In Its Familiarity Golden: a close-up of one of Grayson Perry’s Essex House Tapestries: The Life of Julie Cope (2015)
Historically, large-scale tapestry provided insulation for grand
domestic interiors. Perry, by contrast, however, has juxtaposed its
associations of status, wealth and heritage with contemporary concerns of
class, social aspiration and taste.
To write Julie’s biography, he looked to the English ballad and folktale
tradition, narrating a life that conveys the beauty, vibrancy and
contradictions of the ordinary individual.
Laura Kennedy, Nunnington Hall’s visitor experience manager, says: “It’s
extremely exciting to have The Essex House Tapestries: The Life of Julie Cope
Tapestries on the walls that would usually display the hall’s Verdure
tapestries.
“The tapestries will hang in the drawing room amongst the historic
collection, and nearby to the hall’s remaining 17th century
Flemish tapestries telling the story of Achilles.”
Laura continues: “The genuine and relatable stories told through Grayson
Perry’s artworks are a rich contrast to the demonstration of wealth and status
reflected through many historic tapestries, including our own at Nunnington Hall.
“We’ve worked closely with the Crafts Council to bring the hangings to
Nunnington and observe how these contrasting sets of tapestries are a beautiful
contradiction in design, colour palette, storytelling and manufacture,
illustrating the evolution of tapestries over the past four hundred years. It
will also be the first time that The Essex House Tapestries have been hung in a
historic setting.”
One of the Essex House Tapestries: The Life of Julie Cope (2015), by Grayson Perry
Nunnington’s three Verdure tapestries were brought to Nunnington Hall more
than 350 years ago by the 1st Viscount Preston, Richard
Graham, following his time as Charles II’s ambassador at the Court of
Versailles.
Graham was appointed by King James II as the Master of the Royal
Wardrobe because of his style and knowledge of Parisian fashions. He would have
used these tapestries to demonstrate his good taste, wealth and status in
society.
Welcoming Perry’s works to Nunnington Hall, Jonathan Wallis, curator for
the National Trust, says: “It’s great to be able to show these wonderful
tapestries at Nunnington. It continues our aim of bringing thought-provoking
art to rural Yorkshire.
“The Life of Julie Cope is a story that we can all relate to and one
which will delight, surprise and engage people. Digital devises accompany the
tapestries exploring Julie’s life experiences and the reveal much of Perry’s
inspirations.”
This is the first of two opportunities to see work by Grayson Perry in North Yorkshire in 2020. His earliest works and “lost pots” will be showcased in Grayson Perry: The Pre-Therapy Years from June 12 to September 20 at York Art Gallery’s Centre of Ceramic Art (CoCA).
The
touring exhibition, developed by the Holburne Museum in Bath, is the first to
celebrate Perry’s early forays into the art world and will re-introduce the
explosive and creative works he made between 1982 and 1994.
The 70 works have been
crowd-sourced through a national public appeal, leading to the “lost pots”
being on display together for the first time since they were made.
Cocktail Party, 1989, by Grayson Perry, on show in Grayson Perry: The Pre-Therapy Years at CoCA, York Art Gallery, from June 12
The
Pre-Therapy Years exhibition begins with Perry’s early collaged sketchbooks,
experimental films and sculptures, capturing his move into using ceramics as
his primary medium.
From
his first plate, Kinky Sex (1983),
to his early vases made in the mid-1980s, Perry riffed on British vernacular
traditions to create a language of his own.
The
themes of his later work – fetishism, gender, class, his home county of Essex,
and the vagaries of the art world – appear in works of kinetic energy.
Although
the majority of his output consisted of vases and plates, Perry’s early
experiments with form demonstrate the variety of shapes he produced: Toby jugs,
perfume bottles, porringers, funeral urns and gargoyle heads.
Perry says: “This show has been such a joy to put together. I am really looking forward to seeing these early works again, many of which I have not seen since the Eighties. It is as near as I will ever get to meeting myself as a young man, an angrier, priapic me with huge energy but a much smaller wardrobe.”
Grayson Perry’s The Essex House Tapestries: Life of Julie Cope (2015)
will be on display at Nunnington Hall, Nunnington, Helmsley, from February 8 to
December 20. Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10.30am to 4pm.
Nunnington Hall’s Verdure Tapestries: away for conservation work; back on display from January 2021
What’s happening to the Nunnington Hall Verdure tapestries?
ALL three tapestries at Nunnington Hall have been taken
off the walls. At various times they were sent to Belgium to be cleaned and
each is being worked on by a selected conservator.
At each studio, the tapestries have been placed on to a frame with a
linen scrim. The conservators are working across each tapestry, undertaking
conservation stitching.
This includes closing the gaps that have appeared and replacing worn historic
threads and previous conservation repairs. These stiches are placed through
both the tapestry and the linen to provide extra support.
One of the conservators has estimated this work will take 740 hours. The
work should be completed in the middle of 2020 to be placed back on the drawing
room wall in January 2021.
Grayson Perry’s Essex House Tapestries: The Life of Julie Cope (2015) at Nunnington Hall
The story behind Grayson Perry’s Essex House Tapestries
THE Essex House Tapestries were made for A House for Essex, designed by
Grayson Perry and FAT Architecture, as featured on the Channel 4 programme Grayson
Perry’s Dream House.
The house was conceived as a mausoleum to Julie Cope, a fictitious Essex
“everywoman”, who was inspired by the people Perry grew up among.
The tapestries are the only pair in a public collection, acquired by the
Craft Council.
York artist Gerard Hobson with his wren installation beneath the Clock Tower at Beningbrough Hall, near York. Pictures: Sue Jordan
YORK linocut artist Gerard Hobson is exhibiting
for the first time at Beningbrough Hall, Beningbrough, near York.
His Winter Wildlife In Print show at the
National Trust property combines prints for sale in the Hayloft gallery with 14
sculptural
scenes in the outbuildings, gardens, grounds and parkland, inspired by
creatures that make Beningbrough their winter home.
Throughout
winter until March 1, they can be seen only on Saturdays and Sundays, from 11am
to 3.30pm, and additionally during the February half term.
Hedgehog in winter, by Gerard Hobson,
Created out of linoprints, cut out and mounted to make Hobson’s
3D installations, birds are swooping, climbing or nesting among the trees, from
owls and robins to cuckoos, wrens and swifts.
Eyes should
be kept peeled for the naughty magpies with their stolen ring. Do look out,
too, beyond the ha-ha to the parkland to spot a pair of boxing hares, better
seen close-up should anyone be carrying binoculars.
Bang goes the common knowledge, by the way, that boxing hares
are a brace of males scrapping over a female. Apparently, as a sign reveals,
the fights involve a male and a female, not welcoming his persistent attention.
Who knew, the lady hares are effectively saying “Do one” or “Get yourself a
better chat-up line”!
Hare, by Gerard Hobson, one of the linoprints in the Hayloft gallery at Beningbrough Hall
These outdoor
installations are the first time Gerard Hobson has used his work in this way,
and in creating the exhibition, he has made many new pieces especially for the
Beningbrough garden.
Not only birds, but other animals too make an appearance in
unexpected places, searching for food and preparing to hibernate or sleep,
whether bats, mice, stoats or a hedgehog.
Make sure to head upstairs in the stables to
the Hayloft for an indoor exhibition showcasing more of Gerard’s printed work,
all for sale. Visitors also can create a feeder in the bothy and pick up
one of the special colouring-in sheets in the walled garden restaurant, while
in the laurel den a dawn chorus soundscape is a reminder of warmer days to
come.
Here Charles Hutchinson puts the questions on
the art of the matter to artist Gerard Hobson.
You have a background as a zoologist and botanist. What draws you
to depicting nature and wildlife, Gerard?
“One of my earliest recollections was collecting a set of bird cards
given away with PG Tips tea (I would love to do a set for Yorkshire Tea).
“This moved on to sets of animals both native and around the world,
which then grew into a love of nature.
A bird collage by Gerard Hobson
“At the age of about 16, I had a ten-minute chat with a careers adviser,
who asked me what my interests were. I said ‘nature and art’ and he said ‘there’s
no money in art, go down the science route’, hence the zoology.
“My first job after graduating was with the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and
this is where my knowledge of plants developed.”
In this age of climate change concern and the extinction of creatures,
your art can make a powerful statement …but at the same time, in the short
film shown in the Beningbrough Hall bothy, you talk of your art being fun.
Discuss…
“People who buy my prints tell me they’re bright and cheerful and have a
sense of fun about them. I’m pleased they get that response but I also hope
that my images might create a greater interest in wildlife.
“I think most people are aware of the loss of habitat and species and
the impact of global warming on our environment, but people feel the problem is
so great that their small contribution isn’t going to make any difference.
“I hope my art may stir people to become more interested in the wildlife
around them, to feed the birds and join their local wildlife trust. To share
this with their children and their children’s children and hopefully
generations of young people will become more interested in the birds and woodlands
around them. Maybe some will go on to be environmental campaigners – who knows!”
Gerard Hobson at work in his York studio
Your past work often has been of individual creatures. How did
you come up with the idea of doing installations and sculptural scenes for
the Beningbrough exhibition?
“When I was asked to do an exhibition at Beningbrough, they told me they
wanted me to do something outdoors but they wanted me to use my linocuts.
However, I knew this was going to create several problems.
“Life-size birds outside would just disappear into the great outdoors,
so I had to do everything twice its normal size.
“I wanted the work to be original because somehow, once you reproduce
art, it seems to lose its essence, but trying to make my paper linocuts
waterproof also proved challenging.
“I felt each installation needed some sort of narrative. So, my
vision for the exhibition was not just about the art but for each one to be
linked with some related fact or folklore.”
How does the impact of a group of birds/hibernating animals/etc
contrast with those past works?
“I think the outdoor display at Beningbrough challenged me artistically
as I have never done an outside exhibition before and I wanted to come up with
something a little bit different and quirky: a seek and find concept.
Pheasant, one of the linoprints by Gerard Hobson, at Beningbrough Hall’s Hayloft gallery
“As an artist you are looking at ways to develop, but not lose your
style. Before the offer at Beningbrough came about, I’d been considering doing
some framed images of my linocuts in naturalistic settings using fake plants,
branches, mosses etc.
“When I was about 12, I started collecting taxidermy and had quite a
large collection, but over the years it has become less fashionable. However,
taxidermy still interests me as an art form, hence the thought of putting my
linocuts in cases.”
What influence did the Beningbrough Hall outbuildings and grounds have
on your work. Furthermore, did the task of creating work for the outdoors present
different challenges?
“When I was asked to do the exhibition, the brief was very broad and
they basically gave me carte blanche on the spaces around the grounds, which
was fantastic!
“I obviously wanted to do something that was on a circuit so I around a few times, identifying my favourite
trees and possible places to put things.
“Many of the themes for the installations came from the spaces
themselves. The stumpery led to the creation of a group of mushrooms and the
tool shed looked like a good setting to put animals and birds for sheltering
away from the cold winter weather.”
A close-up of the wrens, one of 14 sculptural scenes by Gerard Hobson at Beningbrough Hall this winter
What impact did the winter season have on the work?
“The winter weather has created a few problems. When we were installing
the exhibition, it seemed to be constantly raining, which made the installation
a very cold and wet experience!
“Once the exhibition was up, we had a couple of weeks where various pieces
were coming away from their metal dowel. (I’m not sure if it was the persistent
rain or the wrong sort of glue being used.)
“Added to which, very high winds brought down the swallow installation
twice and the boxing hares were blown over. There has also been a problem with
the thrush installation being attacked by what we think is the resident jackdaw
population! “However, through it all, the gardeners and volunteers at
Beningbrough have been fantastic at helping put things right.”
What will happen to the installation pieces after the exhibition ends on
March 1?
“Good question, no idea. Some of the pieces have weathered, which gives
them a look of an old loved toy. I don’t think they’ll last outdoors
permanently. I’m open to suggestions.”
Bird And Mistletoe, a winter linoprint by Gerard Hobson
What do you like most about linocuts as an artform?
“I went on a printmaking course at York College about ten years ago and
I was particularly taken with producing linocuts.
“Carving away on lino has a very therapeutic feel to it, and it was through
this medium that I developed my own style. Prior to this, I’d been quite good
at art technically, but didn’t have a particular look to my art, so this
technique seemed to release me into something I’d been trying to do for years.
“When you produce a piece of art, you can feel quite attached to it, and
it can be quite difficult to part with. With a linocut, because it’s one of a
limited edition, you can always hold one back for yourself or a loved one.”
What are you working on next? York Open Studios 2020 on April 18, 19, 25
and 26, perhaps?
“My exhibition in the Hayloft gallery at Beningbrough is running until
the beginning of March, with the sales from this keeping me quite busy at the
moment, and I want to keep refreshing this part of the show, so that returning
visitors get to see something a little different each time.
“Also, I need to crack on with some new work for York Open Studios,
which I’m very excited about this April.”
Gerard Hobson’s Winter Wildlife In Print exhibition and
installations are on show at Beningbrough Hall, Beningbrough, near York, until
March 1. To plan a visit, go to nationaltrust.org.uk/beningbrough for
more information.
Hare leap: one of Gerard Hobson’s linocut prints at Beningbrough Hall
Did you know?
SINCE childhood, Gerard Hobson has had a love for birds, animals
and art. His fascination with wildlife saw him qualify as a zoologist from
Bangor University in 1984 and he then worked for a couple of years for
Wiltshire Wildlife Trust as a botanist. Later he became an illustrator for the
trust, working on leaflets and sign boards.
After relocating up north, Gerard worked for Yorkshire Wildlife
and continued to develop his work on a freelance basis. In more recent years,
he has turned his hand to woodcarving and these days focuses his attentions on
print making, having studied the art form in York.
York artist Gerard Hobson with his wren installation beneath the Clock Tower at Beningbrough Hall, near York. Picture: Sue Jordan
YORK artist Gerard Hobson will hold the first of three print-making
workshops in the Hayloft gallery at Beningbrough Hall, Beningbrough, near York,
on Saturday to tie in with his Winter Wildlife In Print exhibition and
installations at the National Trust property.
Alas all three 10am sessions – using Beningbrough’s garden for
inspiration – are fully booked: the first two, this weekend and on February 8,
focusing on linoprint making; the third, on February 22, being a family
printmaking session.
Hare, by Gerard Hobson, one of the linoprints in the Hayloft gallery at Beningbrough Hall
Hobson’s Hayloft print exhibition and 14 sculptural scenes in the outbuildings,
gardens, grounds and parkland are inspired by creatures that make Beningbrough
their winter home.
Throughout winter until March 1, they can be seen only on
Saturdays and Sundays, from 11am to 3.30pm, and additionally during the
February half term. To plan a visit, go to nationaltrust.org.uk/beningbrough for
more information.
A bird collage by Gerard Hobson
Created out of linoprints, cut out and mounted to make Hobson’s 3D
installations, birds are swooping, climbing or nesting among the trees, from
owls and robins to cuckoos, wrens and swifts.
Eyes should be kept peeled for the naughty magpies with their
stolen ring. Do look out, too, beyond the ha-ha to the parkland to spot a pair
of boxing hares, better seen close-up should anyone be carrying binoculars.
Gerard Hobson at work in his York studio
Bang goes the common knowledge, by the way, that boxing hares are
a brace of males scrapping over a female. Apparently, as a sign reveals, the fights
involve a male and a female, not welcoming his persistent attention. Who knew,
the lady hares are effectively saying “Do one” or “Get yourself a better
chat-up line”!
These installations are the first time Gerard Hobson has used his
work in this way, and in creating the exhibition, he has made many new pieces
especially for the Beningbrough garden. Not only birds, but other animals too make
an appearance in unexpected places, searching for food and preparing to
hibernate or sleep, whether bats, mice, stoats or a hedgehog.
Pheasant, one of the linoprints by Gerard Hobson, at Beningbrough Hall’s Hayloft gallery
Helen Osbond, exhibition manager for the National Trust, says: “We’re
thrilled to host so much of Gerard’s work at Beningbrough this winter. In working
towards the exhibition, it’s been a real insight to see how, as an artist, he
draws on his botanist background in his designs, and there’s a short video in
the bothy showing the process and steps taken in the intricate art of
linoprinting.”
Make sure to head upstairs in the stables to the Hayloft for an indoor exhibition showcasing more of Gerard’s printed work, all for sale.
A close-up of the wrens, one of 14 sculptural scenes by Gerard Hobson at Beningbrough Hall this winter
“It’s not only the chance to discover the series of sculptural scenes, we want the visit to be an immersive experience,” adds Helen. “Visitors can create a feeder in the bothy and pick up one of the special colouring-in sheets in the walled garden restaurant, while in the laurel den there’s a dawn chorus soundscape; a reminder of warmer days to come.”
Did you know?
SINCE childhood, Gerard Hobson has had a love for birds, animals and art. His fascination with wildlife saw him qualify as a zoologist from Bangor University in 1984 and he then worked for a couple of years for Wiltshire Wildlife Trust as a botanist. Later he became an illustrator for the trust, working on leaflets and sign boards.
Artist Gerard Hobson surveys his wren work at Beningbrough Hall
After relocating up north, Gerard worked for Yorkshire Wildlife and continued to develop his work on a freelance basis.
In more recent years, he has turned his hand to woodcarving and these days focuses his attentions on print making, having studied the art form in York.
