This Summer marks 10 years since I moved to Hampshire to start on a Masters degree at WSA. The area has been very kind to us and we’ve loved our time here, making our family home and finally setting up my illustration studio in Winchester. There are already so many memories of this place, with a great number of artworks taking inspiration from the landscape and architecture.
But one thing that seems to continue to be referenced in my work is the Statue of King Alfred. It’s a recognised symbol of Winchester and stands guard at the bottom of the broadway. During my first Autumn (and while working a seasonal job in Waterstones!) I made my first painting of the city, a colour study of the statue surrounded by orange and red foliage. I’ve painted it many more times since then, including a number of commissions but the original study seems to remain the most popular! In the end I created a greeting card from the illustration, but I wish I had the scanner technology back then to capture a better digital copy of the design.
It’s been on my wish list for a little while to try and paint an updated Autumnal King Alf. So here is that new view of ‘King Afred in Autumn’, 29 x 39 cm created with acrylic and ink on paper. My style and use of materials has changed a bit over 10 years!
