I’m excited to report that my design ‘A Fine House Richly Furnished’ has been selected for ‘Sitting with Jane’, a public art trail made up of 24 ‘BookBenches’ in and around Basingstoke.
Over 20 artists have been commissioned from around the UK to design and paint BookBenches for Destination Basingstoke’s project to celebrate Jane Austen’s life, in the area where she was born and lived half her life. The ‘Wild In Art’ event, delivered by Destination Basingstoke in association with Festival Place, is a public art trail that will be staged in the summer of 2017.
“Designs will painted onto a template ‘BookBench’, that acts as a 3D canvas – making the finished piece, not only a work of art, but an attractive piece of street furniture that will be accessible for all to see and sit on, to contemplate the artist, Jane Austen or the scene and landscape where it is located. It will form part of a worldwide celebration of Jane Austen’s life.”
The trail will link together locations – all with free public access. It will be in place between June and September 2017, and will be accompanied by a free to download app and a trail guide.
Sitting With Jane Design
Here’s my sketch design submitted for judging/selection by the organisers and sponsors. It features a grand house set with a sweeping landscape. The plan is to create a view from both sides of the valley. I’m due to begin work on the 3rd April, hopefully completed by the Easter weekend. I’ll look forward to posting updates here on my blog and over on my twitter feed.
