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SCISSOR ARCHES I, WELLS CATHEDRAL  (original acrylic painting (SOLD), limited edition signed prints and greetings cards)
  • SCISSOR ARCHES I, WELLS CATHEDRAL  (original acrylic painting (SOLD), limited edition signed prints and greetings cards)
  • SCISSOR ARCHES I, WELLS CATHEDRAL  (original acrylic painting (SOLD), limited edition signed prints and greetings cards)
  • SCISSOR ARCHES I, WELLS CATHEDRAL  (original acrylic painting (SOLD), limited edition signed prints and greetings cards)

SCISSOR ARCHES I, WELLS CATHEDRAL (original acrylic painting (SOLD), limited edition signed prints and greetings cards)

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£3.50

Today considered one of the most unique and iconic features of the Wells Cathedral, for all the ethereal awe they inspire, the soaring Scissor Arches have a surprisingly scientific origin. The mason William Joy needed a solution to stabilise the upper structure of the building, and of the tower above, the weight of which had caused parts of the

Today considered one of the most unique and iconic features of the Wells Cathedral, for all the ethereal awe they inspire, the soaring Scissor Arches have a surprisingly scientific origin. The mason William Joy needed a solution to stabilise the upper structure of the building, and of the tower above, the weight of which had caused parts of the Cathedral structure to collapse in the 13th and 14th centuries. A remarkably elegant solution to a serious, practical problem, which undoubtedly added to the magnificence of the structure as a whole and this is surely proven by the fact that six hundred years later, an artist would be so inspired by the forms and tones of this load-bearing system that they would want to focus in on it in particular for a series of paintings. When I started to draw from photographs that I had taken of the Arches, I was keen to focus as much as possible on detail. Of course, the Scissor Arches represent a complete, perfect art form in themselves. The natural ‘pull’ for a representational painter would be to illustrate the stone either in earthy colours or in monochrome, but possibly on the simplest level, to reflect the warmth of the feeling I had when staring up at the Arches, I leant towards cadmium deep reds, burnt umbers and yellow-ochres when working with acrylics to build up my initial sketches into paintings.

Framed Original £650 (SOLD) Signed Limited Edition Fine Art Giclée Print £80

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SCISSOR ARCHES II, WELLS CATHEDRAL  (original acrylic painting (SOLD), limited edition signed prints and greetings cards)
  • SCISSOR ARCHES II, WELLS CATHEDRAL  (original acrylic painting (SOLD), limited edition signed prints and greetings cards)
  • SCISSOR ARCHES II, WELLS CATHEDRAL  (original acrylic painting (SOLD), limited edition signed prints and greetings cards)
  • SCISSOR ARCHES II, WELLS CATHEDRAL  (original acrylic painting (SOLD), limited edition signed prints and greetings cards)

SCISSOR ARCHES II, WELLS CATHEDRAL (original acrylic painting (SOLD), limited edition signed prints and greetings cards)

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Often, I prepare my paper or canvas with a Gesso base, sanding it down to give it a smoothness and rigidity: a solid foundation for the next stage of each piece. Then I will frequently apply a yellow-ochre acrylic wash, which also helps me bring out detail in my work. I have always loved drawing, observational in particular, and working on detail

Often, I prepare my paper or canvas with a Gesso base, sanding it down to give it a smoothness and rigidity: a solid foundation for the next stage of each piece. Then I will frequently apply a yellow-ochre acrylic wash, which also helps me bring out detail in my work. I have always loved drawing, observational in particular, and working on detail is something that I thrive on. But equally, I’m taken by the representation of the abstract, so marrying these two together and trying to find an in-between can be challenging, but it really makes me tick when I achieve it. The set of Strainer, or Scissor Arches feature wide circular holes puncturing these wonderfully ornamented structures, forming a diagonal cross that is based, it is said, on the saltire cross of St. Andrew, to whom the Cathedral is dedicated.

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SCISSOR ARCHES III, WELLS CATHEDRAL  (original acrylic painting (SOLD), limited edition signed prints and greetings cards)
  • SCISSOR ARCHES III, WELLS CATHEDRAL  (original acrylic painting (SOLD), limited edition signed prints and greetings cards)
  • SCISSOR ARCHES III, WELLS CATHEDRAL  (original acrylic painting (SOLD), limited edition signed prints and greetings cards)
  • SCISSOR ARCHES III, WELLS CATHEDRAL  (original acrylic painting (SOLD), limited edition signed prints and greetings cards)

SCISSOR ARCHES III, WELLS CATHEDRAL (original acrylic painting (SOLD), limited edition signed prints and greetings cards)

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William Joy, a master mason, constructed the Scissor arches between 1338 and 1348 to support the piers. The masons who constructed the Cathedral were experts in their field and had a thorough understanding of the materials. During construction, they stretched materials to their limits and occasionally beyond. From an artistic point of view, the

William Joy, a master mason, constructed the Scissor arches between 1338 and 1348 to support the piers. The masons who constructed the Cathedral were experts in their field and had a thorough understanding of the materials. During construction, they stretched materials to their limits and occasionally beyond. From an artistic point of view, the angles and colours of the Arches drew out of me a number of important decisions. When I got into the mixing of colours, I found myself lured in an unexpected direction, swapping monochrome or sandy colours with ultramarine blues and deep cadmium reds, or more accurately, combining all of these together. Mixing these colours with the aforementioned earthy tones, I landed on a shade of mauve which I really liked and the spirit of this palette I have followed through all five of my Wells Cathedral-based paintings in this series.

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DAVID & GOLIATH, WELLS CATHEDRAL  (original acrylic painting, limited edition signed prints and greetings cards)
  • DAVID & GOLIATH, WELLS CATHEDRAL  (original acrylic painting, limited edition signed prints and greetings cards)
  • DAVID & GOLIATH, WELLS CATHEDRAL  (original acrylic painting, limited edition signed prints and greetings cards)
  • DAVID & GOLIATH, WELLS CATHEDRAL  (original acrylic painting, limited edition signed prints and greetings cards)

DAVID & GOLIATH, WELLS CATHEDRAL (original acrylic painting, limited edition signed prints and greetings cards)

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A serendipitous moment of thirst brought this artwork into the world. Beneath the window in the Cathedral's north Transept is a war memorial of unusual design commemorating the men of the Somerset Light Infantry who fell in the South African War of 1878-79. Underneath stood the most remarkable sculpted depiction of what I later discovered was the

A serendipitous moment of thirst brought this artwork into the world. Beneath the window in the Cathedral's north Transept is a war memorial of unusual design commemorating the men of the Somerset Light Infantry who fell in the South African War of 1878-79. Underneath stood the most remarkable sculpted depiction of what I later discovered was the victorious shepherd David standing over his slain opponent, the giant Goliath. It was modelled in terracotta by nineteenth century potter George Tinworth, the whole piece a moving allegory to the triumphs in battle, presumably against the odds for a regiment of its size and capability, of the Somerset Light Infantry. Tinworth’s creation exudes character, and I photographed it straight away with a view to sketching it back in my studio. Strangely, until I built these drawings into paintings with acrylic, I had completely missed the miniscule frog sitting on the ear of corn during the sketching stage. When I spotted this gorgeous creature staring out at me, my interest was piqued even further: why was he there? In a 2016 journal by Cathedral Guide David Grover, Grover reveals that Tinworth, who was a hugely successful sculptor by the time he created this work, gained his notoriety primarily for ornamental jugs, tankards and vases featuring “humorous small creatures…mostly mice and frogs [and] the most likely explanation for the frog's presence lies in Tinworth's penchant for the portrayal of frogs on his stand-alone ornaments.”

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THE DEACONS OF THE NORTH TOWER, WELLS CATHEDRAL  (original acrylic painting, limited edition signed prints and greetings cards)
  • THE DEACONS OF THE NORTH TOWER, WELLS CATHEDRAL  (original acrylic painting, limited edition signed prints and greetings cards)
  • THE DEACONS OF THE NORTH TOWER, WELLS CATHEDRAL  (original acrylic painting, limited edition signed prints and greetings cards)
  • THE DEACONS OF THE NORTH TOWER, WELLS CATHEDRAL  (original acrylic painting, limited edition signed prints and greetings cards)

THE DEACONS OF THE NORTH TOWER, WELLS CATHEDRAL (original acrylic painting, limited edition signed prints and greetings cards)

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£3.50

Sometimes, a particular scene draws you in, and it isn’t always obvious why, initially. In the case of the statue in Wells Cathedral’s North Tower of the unnamed Deacons that this piece represents, I believe on reflection my interest was raised by their individual, characterful faces: it is very easy to believe they are fulfilling the roles of

Sometimes, a particular scene draws you in, and it isn’t always obvious why, initially. In the case of the statue in Wells Cathedral’s North Tower of the unnamed Deacons that this piece represents, I believe on reflection my interest was raised by their individual, characterful faces: it is very easy to believe they are fulfilling the roles of their ministry, as servants to the church and its teachings, as the Cathedral’s Deacons do to this day. When Marianne Lowen King and Freddie Bird invited me to collaborate on their exhibition, The Art Of Transitional Spaces, it got me thinking about the contrasts that have always driven my artistic output. The old and the new, the past and the present. The constancy of the office of deacon, including their appearance and apparel, against the backdrop of thousands of years of change all around. When Wells Cathedral was created, the masons naturally used the materials that were easily accessible to them, in this case, Doulting Stone, from the quarry in Shepton Mallet. It is a limestone that was considered at the time to be inferior in quality and was used to make the statues. This judgement may have been a little wide of the mark at least in the case of this statue, which has proudly stood the test of time. This was my final painting in the series, chronologically, and I have to admit I particularly enjoyed working on this one.

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