Description
I made this painting summer 2025 in the Slad Valley near Stroud. I was fortunate enough to be asked by the owner to stay in their newly restored cottage on the farm. In fact the cottage was re built using 95% of the original materials that were mostly fallen to the ground. Only the lintels had been removed by opportunists … thieves ! Allegedly lived in by a lady who does not talk of it however rumour has it was indeed Rosie, the same Rosie that drank Cider with young Laurie Lee under the Hay cart. I was the first Artist to stay and the plan is to invite many more creative people to spend time and make Art there. The valley has a special atmosphere. A series of very deep valleys meander down towards Stroud, calved out by so much time and weight of the crystal clear waters that spring from the limestone of the Western Cotswolds. I worked for three days in this incredible landscape and took the opportunity to wander through the valley in the evenings, picking up objects such as clay pipes, broken ceramics and iron farming related objects that buzzed with the spirit of a once busy and thriving community. Today’s owners farm Dexter beef, whom I spent some time with… a docile bunch that seemed drunk with the sweet smelling vivid green grass, very friendly and not particularly inquisitive of their visitor. Testimony no doubt to the care, attention and obvious love of this heard that resonates from the enthusiasm of the people that are creating this herd. I have been experimenting with some of this beef and I must say the steaks we bbq’d last week… they are a treat but the flavour is bonkersly good (www.dillay.co.uk)
I leave you with this excerpt that, to me, sums up the valleys vibe, I caught whiffs of something old as the glaciers. There were ghosts in the stones, in the trees, and the walls, and each field and hill had several. The elder people knew about these things and would refer to them in personal terms, and there were certain landmarks about the valley – tree clumps, corners in the woods – that bore separate, antique, half-muttered names that were certainly older than Christian.”
― Cider With Rosie
The edition is limited to a total of 50 prints in all sizes