Tag: British Artists

John Reginald Brunsdon ARCA

John Reginald Brunsdon ARCA

John Brunsdon (1933-2014) studied at the Royal College of Art from 1955 to 1958. He was head of the printmaking department at St.Albans College of Art for sixteen years and later lived near Diss on the Suffolk/Norfolk border where he had his own print workshop.

Landscape was always John’s foremost influence, even when images were still abstract and influenced by American abstract expressionists such as Kline and Motherwell. He was fascinated by man’s mark on the landscape – the contrast between buildings and countryside: the one temporary the other timeless and primeval.

All of John’s work is individually hand etched, inked, coloured and printed. He took delight in the texture and decorative qualities of etched marks and the sweeping shapes of broad colour which fuse into timeless images.

He exhibited widely in the United States and Europe, and in New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and Canada, as well as participating in many one-man shows and group exhibitions in the UK. His work is represented in many major public collections, including the Tate Gallery, the British Council, Scottish Museum of Modern Art, the V & A, The Arts Council, the Museum of Modern Art New York. Brunsdon is widely considered one of Britain’s most distinguished printmakers.

Bawden at Audley End

In the past two weeks I have posted about Edward Bawden and his home in the twilight of his life. This is the third and last of these posts.

The artists of Great Bardfield all reacted to their surroundings by making paintings or prints of the area that they lived, so when Edward Bawden moved to Saffron Walden in 1970, he naturally used local places in his artworks, from Bridge End Garden’s to the church.

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 Exhibition list from The Fine Art Society Ltd show 20/ii/1978 – 10/iii/1978.

One of the biggest tourist attractions to Saffron Walden and one of the most prominent buildings in East Anglia is Audley End house and its gardens. It also was very convenient being twenty minuets walk from Bawden’s house, even for an older man.

In 1973 Bawden made a large lino cut of Audley End, a complex task to complete, with the regimented architecture of the building it is one of the more technical linocuts Bawden completed.

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 Edward Bawden – Audley End House, 1973

The watercolours Bawden completed where many but show off the wonderful and complex landscape of the Audley End Park, it’s follies and the trees.

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 Edward Bawden – The Temple of Concord, Audley End, 1975

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 Edward Bawden – Audley End Park III, 1975.

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 Edward Bawden – The Adam Temple, Audley End, 1978

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 Edward Bawden – Ringwood, Audley End, 1975

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 Edward Bawden – Ringwood, Audley End, 1975

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 Edward Bawden – Ringwood, Audley End, 1975

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 Edward Bawden – Ringwood, Audley End, 1975

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 Edward Bawden – In Audley End Park, 1978

 Edward Bawden – Audley End, 1978

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 Edward Bawden – Ringwood V, Audley End, 1975

The Three Suitors

Magazines in second hand book and charity shops are treated with various levels of scorn, I am guessing it’s because they don’t stack on a shelf easily and can look untidy. It’s a shame as some are full of adverts and illustrations that are not found anywhere else. 

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Here is one piece illustrated by Barnett Freedman from the Housewise Magazine in the 1950s. Although there maybe more, I have never seen Freedman illustrate a magazine artical. It’s a simple monochrome print with the focus was on the draftsmanship.

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Many of Freedman’s book dust jacket designs are like this too, but with a simple colour wash behind them, he was very economic with colour – in printing terms. With his marvellous free-drawn typefaces and grainy illustration, with closer views you can see the picture is of a theatre and the balcony with the audience looking down on the artical. The heroin is in a locket cameo to the left and the hero to the bottom right. Short simple and I hope an unusual sight for those who know Freedman’s work.

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