A commission for my good friend and colleague Lisa Clack. We met at Christian Brann, a direct marketing agency in Cirencester, back in 1989 – we still work together now at Early Years Direct.
Her family have always lived around the Stroud area. Lisa's mum Jenny Ellis and late husband Clive lived at the 'Old Castle' in King's Stanley from around 1994 – Jenny recently had to downsize. #kingsstanley #oldcastle #historicalbuildings
It's a Grade Two Listed building. The print I've created celebrates the good times spent there, the beautiful stone carving, the very old oak door and the stunning wisteria.#stonecarving #wisteria
'Old Castle', or 'Old Castle House' was originally built or remodelled in 1563 for William Selwyn a clothier. The area has strong connections to the textile industry, the carving on the left is the owner’s initials and wool merchant's mark. The building has a mixed history, it's been a farmhouse and a public house. #stroudtextileindustry #wooltrade #stanleymill
I remember visiting many years ago and being totally amazed by the stone spiral staircase inside, it's such a characterful building.
Lisa asked me to create an image – she was looking for something modern – I thought my simple black linocut print with added ink stamped flowers would work well. I recently developed this technique, using lino rather than wood for the main block, for a previous design 'Marigolds In Pots' – it's good for capturing intricate detail. The door and the carvings were really interesting to recreate and I'm happy with the way the coloured Wisteria blooms soften the effect.
I've printed one for Lisa and one for her mum, I hope they serve as a nice reminder of 'Old Castle' and look good in their new homes. Editions are available on my website here.
Thank you Lisa for your commission - it was great fun to create and interesting finding out about the history of King's Stanley. Hope to see the prints in situ some time!
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