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| Second Reduction Linoblock: The Crowded Skies, Broughton Castle |
Linocut (reduction method five-colour) 533mm x 400mm
Robin Wilson (2011)
After spending several years filling a sketchbook with chiaroscuro pen and ink drawings of random buildings I've encountered on my travels, the image above is the first attempt to produce a series of large multi-coloured reduction linocut images to capture the buildings in a more finished form.
Broughton is an excellent castle to visit and draw, the access and views of the house being open and varied. It is the home of the Fiennes family and local to our base in Duns Tew. At the entrance to the grounds next to the lodge gate is a sign which explains that even when the castle is closed the public are still very welcome to walk in the parklands. This unusually generous public statement has always greatly endeared me to the place and has enabled me to spend many hours at all times in all seasons to sketch and observe the building in different lighting effects and weathers. The finished linocut image intends to capture the building at sunset on a summer evening. The Canada geese which are usually found plodding about the lawns on the margins of themoat occasionally fly in or out in noisy gaggles, bringing the scene to life and disturbing the tranquil waters.
Broughton is an excellent castle to visit and draw, the access and views of the house being open and varied. It is the home of the Fiennes family and local to our base in Duns Tew. At the entrance to the grounds next to the lodge gate is a sign which explains that even when the castle is closed the public are still very welcome to walk in the parklands. This unusually generous public statement has always greatly endeared me to the place and has enabled me to spend many hours at all times in all seasons to sketch and observe the building in different lighting effects and weathers. The finished linocut image intends to capture the building at sunset on a summer evening. The Canada geese which are usually found plodding about the lawns on the margins of themoat occasionally fly in or out in noisy gaggles, bringing the scene to life and disturbing the tranquil waters.
The Crowded Skies will appear at our Artsweek exhibition in May at the Strawbale Studio in Duns Tew, and along with Gilfach yr-hoel and the large panorama of Wytham Hill from our Wytham woods project these will be the first major works by Robin of our current three main projects: Kilvert Country, British Architecture, and Wytham Woodlands.
