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William Blake: 1757-1827

November 28, 2016 By Wendy Campbell

Portrait of William Blake by Thomas Phillips (1807)

Portrait of William Blake by Thomas Phillips (1807)

Born on November 28, 1757, William Blake is ranked among the greatest English poets and one of the most original visual artists of the Romantic era. The son of a working-class family, Blake studied art as a boy at the drawing academy of Henry Pars. In 1772, he began an apprenticeship with the commercial engraver James Basire and in 1779, entered the Royal Academy Schools as an engraver.

In 1782, Blake married Catherine Boucher who would later become his studio assistant.  The couple had no children. In 1784, Blake set up his own print shop and made his living for much of his life as a reproductive engraver. In 1788, he developed a method of etching in relief that enabled him to combine illustrations and text on the same page and to print them himself.

Blake described his technique as “fresco.” Using oil and tempera paints mixed with chalks, Blake painted the design onto a flat surface (a copperplate or piece of millboard), from which he pulled the prints by pressing a sheet of paper against the damp paint. He completed the designs in ink and watercolor, making each impression unique.

Blake bound and sold his own volumes, including Songs of Innocence (1788) and its sequel, Songs of Experience (1794). Many of his large independent colour prints, or monotypes, were created in 1795. From 1795 to 1797, he produced over five hundred watercolors for an edition of Edward Young’s Night Thoughts, of which only one volume was published.

For Blake, art was visionary, not intellectual. He believed that the arts offered insights into the metaphysical world and could potentially redeem a humanity that had fallen into materialism and doubt.

Blake’s most important patron and closest friend was Thomas Butts, a prosperous civil servant. Butts appears to have purchased most of Blake’s output up until about 1810, including a commission of 50 tempera paintings, 80 watercolours, all of a biblical nature.

In 1800, Blake moved to Felpham, near Chichester, at the invitation of the poet William Hayley, who offered him employment for three years. It was here that Blake regained a spiritual calm and was profoundly affected by the study of Milton. He returned to London in 1804 and began “Jerusalem”, a project he worked on until his death.

In 1818, Blake was introduced to his second major patron, John Linnell. Linnell commissioned works including the engravings to the Book of Job (1823-1826), and a set of illustrations to Dante’s Divine Comedy (1824-1827). He made regular payments to Blake until his death. Despite Linnell’s support, Blake had considerable financial problems during his later years, and in 1821 was obliged to sell his entire collection of prints. In 1822, at Linnell’s insistence, he received a grant from the Royal Academy.

William Blake died of gallstones, at his home in London on August 12, 1827. Largely unrecognized during his lifetime, he is now considered one of the most important figures in the history of both poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age.

For a complete biography, see the sources links below.





Sources: Metropolitan Museum of Art, J. Paul Getty Museum, National Gallery of Art, Wikipedia

Filed Under: ART, Art History, Drawing, Illustration, Painting Tagged With: English Artists, Romantic Era Art, William Blake

Beatrix Potter: 1866-1943

July 28, 2016 By Wendy Campbell

Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit Born on July 28, 1866 in South Kensington in London, England, Beatrix Potter is best known for her  illustrated children’s books. She was an author, illustrator, mycologist, farmer, and conservationist. Potter came from a wealthy family and although her father was a barrister, he devoted much of his time to his passions of art and photography. He and Beatrix’s mother Helen were socially active associating with many writers, artists, and politicians.

Potter had a lonely childhood and was educated at home by a governess. By the age of eight, she was filling sketchbooks with drawings of animals and plants and her artistic endeavors were encouraged, especially by her father.

In her teens, Potter spent most of her time studying, and painting and sketching. “Although she got her Art Student’s Certificate for drawing, Beatrix reached the age of 21 having had little real education. Like many adult daughters of the rich, she was appointed ‘household supervisor’ – a role that left her with enough time to indulge her interest in the natural sciences.”

In her 20s, Potter developed into a talented naturalist, made studies of plants and animals at the Cromwell Road museums, and learned how to draw with her eye to a microscope. She began to focus more on drawing and painting and began to earn a small income from her illustrations. She had also begun to write illustrated letters to the children of her former governess, Annie Moore. Peter Rabbit was born in a letter she wrote in September 1893 to Annie’s son, Noel.

Six publishers rejected “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” before Potter decided to publish her own edition of the story. Having seen the edition, publisher Frederick Warne decided to publish Peter Rabbit, and within a year had to produce six editions to meet demand. “This success marked the start of a life-long relationship between Beatrix and Warne who proposed marriage in 1905. ” Although she accepted him – defying her parents, who saw that being a ‘trade’, a publisher was an unthinkable match for their daughter – Norman unexpectedly died less than a month later of a blood disorder.”

Potter continued writing and produced one or two new books each year for the next eight years. In 1909, she met and befriended a local solicitor, William Heelis. After a period of having to battle her parents’ objections to her relationship Beatrix married William in 1913.

After her marriage, Potter dedicated herself to the role of lady farmer and became an expert in breeding Herdwick sheep. From 1920, and due to failing eyesight, Potter did less and less creative work and her books had to be pieced together from sketches and drawings done years earlier. Her last major work, “The Tale of Little Pig Robinson”, was published in 1930.

In the final part of her life, Potter concentrated on her other passion – conservation which was inspired by her friendship with Canon Rawnsley, one of the founder members of the National Trust. “Her expanding estate, funded by revenue from book sales, gave her the opportunity to fulfil an ambition to preserve not only part of the Lake District’s unique landscape but the area’s traditional farming methods.”

Beatrix Potter died on December 22, 1943. She left 14 farms and over 4,000 acres to the National Trust, land that it still owns and protects against development today.

She wrote and illustrated a total of 28 books, including the 23 Tales, the ‘little books’ that have been translated into more than 35 languages and have sold over 100 million copies. Her stories have been retold in various formats including a ballet, films, and in animation.

Peter Rabbit 1902 - Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter
Frog he would a wooing go Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter
Benjamin Bunny - Beatrix Potter
Tom Kitten and His Mother - Beatrix Potter
The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin Beatrix Potter
Timmy Tiptoes with Goody Beatrix Potter
The Roly Poly Pudding Beatrix Potter
The Tale of Two Bad Mice - Beatrix Potter
The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse - Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter Tales of Peter Rabbit
Beatrix-Potter---Peter-Rabbit-Scene

Sources: V&A Museum,  BibliOdyssey

Beatrix Potter’s love of animals may have meant that she would have appreciated this little pair of owls.

Filed Under: ART, Art History, Illustration, Women in Visual Arts Tagged With: Beatrix Potter, Beatrix Potter Birthday, English Artists, Peter Rabbit

Nom Kinnear-King: Painting

December 1, 2010 By Wendy Campbell

London based artist Nom Kinnear-King has a BA in Fine Art Print and Photo Media from Norwich School of Art and Design in the UK . Her paintings and drawings have been featured on Creep Machine, Caarpaccio.(Spain), in Death Mook (Australia) and currently featured in ‘ Ballad of’ magazine (London) and as the cover art for French Novel “L’Ecole des dingues” by Cornelia Read.

” My art has always been focused on creating female characters, the world around them and the narrative this creates. It is a world full of precious objects, secrecy and hopeful magic. These oil paintings and mixed medium drawings trail along a between the line of real and imaginary. My note book is vital to me, my scrapbook and camera of perhaps next importance. I begin a piece with sketching thoughts, after which go about collecting imagery the collageing these together to make the final piece and letting it develop along the way. I am inspired by a mixed up jumble of things from eastern Europe to South America, from Tom Waits to Amelie to a ornament found at a boot sale.” (bio from artist’s website)

To see more, visit NomKinnearKing.com.




Sources: Floren Gallery,

Filed Under: ART, Drawing, Mixed Media Tagged With: English Artists, London Artists, Nom Kinnear King, UK Artists

Nick Brandt: Wildlife Photography

August 28, 2010 By Wendy Campbell

Today: the majestic photographs of Nick Brandt.  Born and raised in London, England, Brandt studied film and painting at St. Martins School of Art.  After college, he moved to California and became a well-known music video director for stars such as Michael Jackson (Earth Song) and Moby (Play).  It was while directing “Earth Song” in Tanzania that Brandt‘s love of East Africa and its animal inhabitants began.

Brandt’s style is unlike other wildlife photographers who tend to focus on “action shots”.  Instead, his black and white, fine art photos, are intimate, capturing not only beautiful landscapes, but also the personalities of his subjects.

Many of Brandt’s photographs look like paintings.  He achieves this effect by getting extremely close to the animals, (using no telephoto lenses) and includes as much of the sky and landscape as possible so that the animals are seen in the context of their environment.  He sometimes tracks his subjects for days to discover the perfect composition. Brandt admits his photos are unashamedly idyllic and romantic. “They’re my elegy to a world that is steadily, tragically vanishing.”

Brandt has had numerous solo exhibitions across North America and Europe and published the book “On This Earth” in 2005.  His new book entitled “A Shadow Falls” will be released in September 2009.

To enjoy more photographs visit NickBrandt.com or the Young Gallery for a detailed biography.



Elephant Drinking © Nick Brandt


Related Books:
A Shadow Falls

On This Earth: Photographs from East Africa

Sources: NickBrandt.com, Young Gallery

Filed Under: ART, Nature, Photography Tagged With: English Artists, Nick Brandt, UK Artists, Wildlife Photography

Iain Crawford: Photography

August 1, 2010 By Wendy Campbell

Sunday’s images are by London based Photographer Iain Crawford. To see more of his work, visit Iain.Crawford.com.  Enjoy!

© Iain Crawford

© Iain Crawford © Iain Crawford

© Iain Crawford
All Photos © Iain Crawford

Filed Under: ART, Photography Tagged With: English Artists, Iain Crawford, UK Artists

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