One of weaknesses I identified in my drawing, was echoed by my lecturer: “These drawings have become quite controlled in your application of media so I would urge you to try and loosen up even when recording specific detail of your subject matter”
I was referred to Angie Lewin, “as reference to an artist that has a broad visual language and often produces
seasonal images. Her drawing style is fairly controlled but see how she still manages to
create shape, definition and softness in the images”.
Angie Lewin
Overview
Angie Lewin is an UK artist, who has studied both Fine Art Printmaking and Horticulture. This is reflected in her inspiration:
“the clifftops and saltmarshes of the North Norfolk coast and the Scottish Highlands, I depict these contrasting environments and their native flora in wood engraving, linocut, silkscreen, lithograph and collage. These landscapes are often glimpsed through intricately detailed plantforms.
-Lewin, About My Work.
I definitely feel she is a kindred spirit with the interest in botany.
Update: 18 October. Angie has an exhibition at the Scottish Gallery.
Works
The techniques Angie uses limit the amount of detail that is possible, particularly the wood carvings. Nevertheless, she manages to convey texture and detail. Look at the limpet shells in the Shell, Seaweed and Feather screenprint: the subtle horizontal lines. I can learn from Angie Lewin is that this detail is added within a framework of strong lines that create definition and light and shadow. Not all lines are equal. She captures first what is essential.
Books:
Angie Lewin: Plants and Places
Screen Prints:
Shell, Seaweed and Feather
Shoreline
The Walled Garden
The Walled Garden is one of my favourites. It is one the cover of Angie’s 2021 Calendar … so hopefully I will have a copy of it I can enjoy every day!
There is movement in this piece, with the gentle curve this-way and that-way of the stems, and the flare of the flowers. There is nothing stiff about it. The lessons from this piece for me are twofold: embrace the curves and quirks of my subject; but more importantly, it’s all about composition. The only time I came close to this level of interest was when I was able to re-work my images several times, honing them. For instance, the Gerberas were drawn, traced, drawn again, the various elements moved and re-arranged and drawn again … before they were traced once again in the computer, and finally coloured.
Lino Cuts:
Pebble Shore
Wood Engravings:
Tideline Feathers
References
Lewin, A. (2020) About my Work,
Viewed: https://www.angielewin.co.uk/pages/about-my-work, 29 August, 2020
Lewin, A. (nd) ‘Pebble Shore’ in Limited Edition Prints,
Viewed: https://www.angielewin.co.uk/collections/limited-edition-prints/products/pebble-shore, 18 July, 2020
Lewin, A. (nd) ‘Shell, Seaweed and Feather’ in Limited Edition Prints,
Viewed: https://www.angielewin.co.uk/collections/limited-edition-prints/products/shell-seaweed-and-feather, 18 July, 2020
Lewin, A. (nd) ‘Shoreline’ in Limited Edition Prints,
Viewed: https://www.angielewin.co.uk/collections/limited-edition-prints/products/shoreline, 18 July, 2020
Lewin, A. (nd) ‘The Walled Garden’ in Limited Edition Prints,
Viewed: https://www.angielewin.co.uk/collections/limited-edition-prints/products/angie-lewin-the-walled-garden-screen-print, 18 July, 2020
Lewin, A. (nd) ‘Tideline Feathers’ in Limited Edition Prints,
Viewed: https://www.angielewin.co.uk/collections/limited-edition-prints/products/tideline-feathers-1, 18 July, 2020
Kathryn Kerr 