210 |OxfordshireLimitedEdition|August 2019
WendyLewis'curiosityaboutoriginsandloveofpeopleledhertoabeautifullyartistic
life.SandraSmithpreviewsherlatestexhibition-DrawntoTheChilterns
ARTIST OF INTEGRITY
T
hroughacobbledcourtyard
whereanancientbuilding
hasevolvedintoaninviting
arrayofgalleries,teashop
andallthingsvintage,Imake
amentalnotetoexplore,
anothertime,thishiddengemoffWendover
HighStreetbeforeascendingaflightofsteps
leadinguptoWendyLewis’loftstudio.The
doorisopen.
SecondslaterIrealiseI’vesteppedinto
aninterviewer’sparadise.Yousee,Imay
beheretodelveintoamyriadofdepthand
complexitiesbehindthosecharactersfeatured
inherDrawntoTheChilternspaintings,a
bodyofworkwhichreflectsthisgiftedartist,
butthere’sabonus.Wendyisasintriguingas
herdetailedwatercolours.
“Becauseofmyloveofpeople,”shesays,
respondingtomyopeningquestionabout
whysheisportrayingpastfiguresthrough
art.“Ihaveacuriosityaboutorigins,not
necessarilyhistoric,butwhatbringsus
towhereweare.Thatleadstocuriosity
aboutthisarea.Peoplepassthroughbut
leaveamark,hopefullycreativeandkindly,
butsometimesitcanbedestructive.I
counterbalancetheuglinesswithsomething
kindly,nurturingandcaring.”
Sittingatatableladenwithsketchesand
paints,Wendyissoftlyspokenandsmiles
permeateourconversation.Yetthereisan
innerstrength,resolve,purpose,whichfires
her.Oneoftheimageswedissect,Anne
Boleyn,forinstance,provokesaresolute
opinion.ThepopularreputationofHenry
VIII’ssecondwifemaybetarnished,but
Wendyisquick,ifnottodefend,thenatleast
suggestanalternativeviewpoint.
“Annewasmischievousandgrossly
misunderstood.I’mnotanhistorianbutI
don’tthinkshehaddarkintentions,though
shewasnaturallyandinstinctivelyflirtatious.”
BeforeIknowit,we’reenjoyably
sidetrackedbythenaturalbiasofhistory
books,recognisingtheimpossibilityof
accuratelyrecordingthelivesandchoicesof
peoplefromhundredsofyearsagowhich
bearlittlerelationtocurrentdaymoralsor
pressures.
Buttherearefacts,too,ofcourse,and
thewaytheseareinstilledintoWendy’s
paintingsrevealsacreativemindunrestrained
byboundaries.SuchasAnneBoleyn
wearingagownwhichElizabethIworewith
authenticjewelleryandembroidery,“butnot
inauthenticcolours.”Thesceneoverflows