Hope Gap Venus Firmament

Print description

As you walk from Seaford Head towards Hope Gap, the most iconic view of the South downs is presented to you. The view of the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs. The luminous South facing white chalk cliffs in the low winter sun, slow passing clouds and a still sea looks at itself to mirror the view.

Print details

I create each print out of my own hand drawn ink drawings that I colour digitally. I print my design using fine art paper and archival inks, and release each print as part of a limited edition of 100 for the standard sizes A0,A1, A2, A3 or A4. Each print has my signature and edition number.

Drawing the Seven Sisters cliffs

To draw the Seven Sisters is like writing music. There is a succession and repetition of forms that creates a rhythm of hills and valleys, like music which is also reminiscent of the rhythmic crashing of the ocean waves along the shore. The line of the sea horizon meets the cliffs and follows the curvaceous path along the coast. The cliffs resemble faces looking at the channel with hair made of grass combed by the wind. This poem by Lorca called ‘Frizo’ echoes this vision.
Land
Breeze girls
go with their long tails.
Sky
The young men of the air
jump over the moon.

Seven Sisters Cliffs

The Seven Sisters cliffs take the name for each of the seven hills that form this landscape. These cliffs are the remnants of dry valleys in the chalk South Downs, which are gradually being eroded by the sea. The name Seven Sisters relates to the number of peaks and dips which are the following: Haven Brow, Short Bottom, Short Brow, Limekiln Bottom, Rough Brow, Rough Bottom, Brass Point, Gap Bottom, Flagstaff Point, Flagstaff Bottom, Flat Hill, Flathill Bottom, Baily’s Hill, Michel Dean and Went Hill Brow. Since I moved to Brighton in 2007 I have paid many visits to the Seven Sisters Country Park. This particular walk starts by taking the train to Seaford, walking along the promenade and then climbing up Seaford Head. Once passed its summit the view of the Seven Sisters is revealed.

Art references: William Blake, Samuel Palmer, Constable, Eric Slater, Arthur Ridgen Read and more.

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.

Print Series: Belt of Venus.

The Belt of Venus is a soft pink glow that appears just before sunrise or after sunset, hovering above the horizon opposite the sun. It’s caused by sunlight scattering through the atmosphere, often separated from the horizon by the darker band of Earth’s shadow. In winter, the colour can feel sharper and more vivid.

I’m often looking up—through windows at night, cycling along the seafront, or walking home past Brunswick Square in Hove. Those skies, along with childhood evenings spent studying constellations with a torch and a sky map, have led to a new series of prints.