I currently have a selection of my Southampton landmarks Giclee prints, greetings cards and postcards stocked at God’s House Tower, Southampton. I started drawing elements of the old Southampton walls when I was studying towards an MA in printed textiles at Winchester School of Art. My final project was based upon my personal heritage, with drawings, prints and patterns reflecting a combination of memorabilia, nature and architecture from childhood to present day. Linked with these was a sense of place, inspired from my parental heritage of Burma, Scotland, Stockport and my home, Southampton.
Below are a few images I took as part of my initial research at the time of walking around the old town walls, followed below with one of the final wallpaper designs from the Heritage collection; ‘Southampton Fusion’.
More recently I returned to drawing some of Southampton’s landmarks and developed the existing drawings and watercolours I had produced for a collection of postcards, greeting cards and Giclee prints.
The postcards are kept simply as watercolours, whilst the Giclee prints composition’s contain patterns emerging from their surroundings (such as the Cherry Tree, Westgate Street, Westgate Hall, mini God’s House Towers as clouds and the brick work and patterns from the paving surrounding the Bargate. The focus of Hope Bell, came from a photograph I had taken a few years ago that seemed relevant during lockdown this March. The bell has the inscription ‘Hope’ partially visible (originally reading “In God is my Hope R.B. 1605”), as this was used as a curfew bell as part of the gateway to the city, it felt poignant to draw upon a symbol of ringing hope into the City.
This collection is available at God’s House Tower Artist’s Shop
God’s House Tower, Giclee print.
Hope Bell, The Bargate, Giclee print.
The Bargate, Giclee print.
Westgate Hall, Giclee print.
A6 Postcards, set of four landscape.
