Introducing the Hedgelayer from ‘Shades of the Countryside’, a work which hints at both the multitudinous tones of the rural landscape and, more interestingly, at the traces of lives once lived in its nooks and corners.
His cameo is set against gently rolling terrain, partitioned by laid hedgerows. They may look beautiful, a sort of primitive land art, but the work - moreover, toil - is brutal. However, the ‘hedger’ is a phlegmatic character unphased by even the densest run of blackthorn, and he provides a jolly profile. He wears a bowler hat - cocked back - a neckerchief and smokes a small, clay pipe.
This cameo, drawn by Cameron Short and reproduced by master printers, floats within a simple wooden box frame, stained grey. The print’s graphite tones have a hint of mauve; this is echoed in the pigment chosen for the frame’s interior. The print sits behind UV resistant, non-reflective glass. Its dimensions are - Width: 40.5cm Height: 41.5cm Depth: 3cm
