Oxfordshire Limited Edition – August 2019

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