Artists & Illustrators — June 2017

gilding. The studio is equipped with

beautiful oak easels from Paris and

all the apparatus one would expect to

find in a medieval artist’s studio. The

Tower Room reminds one of

participating in a tradition, which is

ancient and timeless, as well as at the

cutting edge of contemporary art.

You take workshops in the Tower Room –

do you find it inspires people?

The space is an incredible inspiration for my

pupils. At the start of the week they have a blank

canvas and, by the end of day five, they have a wonderful

painting. We think the surroundings in the Tower Room and

the heritage site (known as the Ruins) have a huge

influence on their work.

What are you working on at the moment?

I am working on several private portrait commissions, as

well as a series of still life paintings based on the work of

the master potter Joe Davda. I make all the paints I use

myself from rocks, earth, plants and bones. My paintings

are born out of a journey and, if successful, they embody

the integrity of that journey. For me, the craft, journey

and painting are one.

http://www.cowdray.co.uk; http://www.davidcranswick.com

materials: how pigments come from the earth, rocks and

plants. I learned about the ancient art of alchemy, hermetic

tradition and how this philosophy lies at the heart of all

craft. Cecil taught that creativity is a bridge, uniting inner

realisation with the outer world of experience.

Ever since I was a young boy, growing up in the bush in

Australia, I have believed that art’s purpose is to reveal this

invisible world of mystery into the visible world of matter.

How has working in this unique space informed your

work and practice?

The studio is a sacred space; a conducive environment in

which one is able to serve creativity. Working in the studio

is like being in an alchemist’s laboratory; one is surrounded

by apparatus for grinding semi-precious rocks for making

pigments, plant products for preparing dyes that are then

precipitated to make pigments, with glass mullers and

grinding stones for making paints and gold leaf, and for

POWER OF PIGMENT

Semi-precious

rocks are ground

to make beautiful

colour pigment

WORKING IN THE STUDIO IS LIKE

BEING IN AN ALCHEMIST’S

LABORATORY – ONE IS SURROUNDED

BY APPARATUS FOR MAKING PIGMENTS

24 In the Studio.indd 25 06/04/2017 15:55