Ruskin Museum, Coniston
4th September – 14th November 2021
The world-famous fells and valleys of the Lake District – celebrated and revered by poets and painters from Wordsworth to Coleridge and from Turner to Constable, visited by millions of people each year, and now listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site – are what come to mind when one thinks of the Cumbrian landscape. But that is not all that this area has to offer.
Indeed, Cumbria is a tapestry of many rich and varied types of landscape which are often overshadowed by the illustrious Lake District which, in actuality, only constitutes one part of the region. These landscapes include parts of another mountain range – the Pennines – whose peaks are almost as high as the Lake District fells, and whose windswept summits look down on the lush green countryside of the Eden Valley. Then there is the coast, with its one hundred and fifty miles of shoreline featuring both the towering red sandstone cliffs of St Bees Head and the vast tidal estuaries of the Solway Firth, Morecambe Bay and the Duddon. There are the varied wetlands which include salt marshes, mosses and fenland. And, finally, there is the gently rolling countryside which connects all these places together.
In this collection of work, I have examined not only the familiar and celebrated lakes and fells, but also the less well known and obscure scenery found off the well-trodden tourist tracks. These are the places that have inspired me to be an artist.
The Ruskin Museum is on Yewdale Road in the village of Coniston. It is open daily from 10am-4-30pm. Admission charges apply. Please visit www.ruskinmuseum.com for more information.
