Making and Breaking a Narrative continued:

Following the previous collage, I wanted to create a further piece using similar techniques but with 7 Magpies present.

Edward Cawood – ‘Seven for a Secret’ – watercolour and cartridge paper – 21cm x 29.7cm (A4) – 2020

The original collage draws on the English countryside, with artistic and stylistic influence from Eric Ravilious’ rolling British landscapes:

Eric Ravilious – ‘The Vale of the White Horse’ – c.1939 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/N05164

I took inspiration from Robert Macfarlane (author) and Jackie Morris’ (illustrator) picture book, ‘The Lost Words: A Spell Book’:

Robert Macfarlane & Jackie Morris – ‘Magpie’ from ‘The Lost Words: A Spell Book’ – (card game edition) – 2017

I was lucky enough to attend the opening show and book launch for this collection of artworks in 2017 at Compton Verney art gallery and park. Robert Macfarlane’s reading of Magpie stuck with me – it is a simple acrostic which almost mimics the chattering of a Magpie.

With the book in mind, I created a simple series – each captioned like a picture book:

Ultimately, I would like for these pages to be printed and bound – like a children’s picture book – at approximately 33cm x 25cm

Seven for a Secret / Edward Cawood by blogadmin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 3.0