Early Spring in South Downs from Seaford to Cuckmere Haven

Print description

This panoramic view depicts the South Downs in early spring time. The coast, the cliffs and the fields with gorse and rapeseed bloom. This view is from Castle Hill looking towards Seaford, Cuckmere Haven and beyond.

Print details

Limited edition print. Panoramic format. Print size 124 x 30.5 cm approx. Signed print from a limited edition of 100. From original ink drawing to which I apply colour digitally. Printed on fine art paper using archival inks.

Castle Hill

In April 2022 I did the walk from Brighton to Lewes from Woodingdean. From Castle Hill this view towards Seaford and Cuckmere Haven encapsulates the outstanding beauty of the South Downs and the coast together. That day the aromatic yellow flowers of the gorse formed ochre clouds over the fields and the rapeseed in distance created a carpet of light. Later in the week, at the West Pier Centre where I am Artist in Residence I started the composition of this print.

I look in landscapes for patterns and elements that repeat and repeat, with rhythm and different forms, a bit like music. This repetition creates a structure that I find very soothing to the soul. Sometimes recognizable landmarks appear as in this print I show the cliffs in Seaford Head and Cuckmere Haven in the distance. This is  one of my favourite bits of the coastline.

Eric Slater and Arthur Rigden Read and Seaford Head

This print is a homage to two artists that lived in Seaford and created a series of Japanese style woodcuts depicting the Seaford and its surrounds.  Friend and teacher to Eric Slater, Authur Rigden Read (1879-1955) was an internationally acclaimed woodcut artist who used colour to produce this artwork from his studio in Winchelsea. He and Slater were both awarded gold medals by the Society of California Printmakers.

Seven Sisters Cliffs Early Spring

Have you ever been on a walk in the South Downs in a day with large cumulus clouds that shoot up to the sky? They dwarf any feature in the landscape and turn us into miniscule beings. The sun shimmers in the haze and the cliffs, like limelight in old fashion theatres, project a blinding light to the spectator.  Many artists have captured this light and their work is present in my consciousness during the art creation process. Among others I like feel drawn to past artist that have also dwelt and depicted the South East such as Samuel Palmer with his romantic landscapes watercolours of the cliffs, William Blake idyllic images of Felpham, Constable clouds of Brighton and Hove, Eric Slater and Arthur Ridgen soft Japanese woodblock prints of seascapes and seagulls. All these artists captured the light and essence of this land.