"I recently re-read Thomas Hardy's The Woodlanders and was struck by the number of wonderfully lyrical but very casual references he made to the nature around him. Today, the encounters that he considered quite normal would be viewed as exciting, rare and exceptionally lucky sightings.
Hardy wrote The Woodlanders' novel in 1887, during the course of the last 130 years, and more specifically the past 30, much of the wildlife that his generation considered commonplace in Dorset is now under threat or near to extinction. For example, he frequently mentions nightingales; their numbers have declined by 92% since 1970 so it is truly a privilege to hear their melodic song these days. A myriad of human factors lie behind the loss of this bird, which is so inspirational it has been a symbol of poets and creativity for centuries."
Gary Cook
RI SGFA Arborealist
This classic novel inspired Gary to paint the incredible Dorset landscapes and the various species dependent on it, while incorporating Hardy's incisive nature-notes into his work to serve as a clarion call for us all to protect the precious wildlife we have left.
In conversation with fellow Arborealist and Hardy enthusiast Paul Newman.
Paul is the creative director for Dorset Visual Arts and coordinates Art Weeks events as well as other project work as a curator, collaborator and writer.
"As a graphic fine artist my work comes from places I've explored and returned to repeatedly, with an ingrained personal significance, it's a response to being affected by memories or experience over time. Exploring the links between the places I find and the stories that have fashioned them, I'm influenced by maps and writers, geologists and legends, songs and poems. Drawings and photographs taken in the field are then worked up into finished pieces in the studio".
Paul Newman (a self confessed 'Hardy' nut!)
All welcome. Please register interest as spaces are limited.
Chatting time approximately 45 minutes.