country craft
The designs capture everything John loved about the British countryside – its landscapes, wildlife and built heritage
Natural talent
The artist with a countryman’s eye John Hinchcliffe’s deep connection to the countryside shaped his life and work. His partner and daughter reflect on how the flowers, wildlife and landscapes of Dorset and Sussex inspired the late artist’s prints Words: Rosanna Morris Photos: Philip Hartley
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s dawn breaks in a valley below the Dorsetshire Gap, the beautiful spot where five historic tracks meet, a tall man of slight build sits in a shabby green Lloyd Loom chair half in and half out of a garden shed. Smoking now and then the roll-up that he holds between two fingers, he hunches over a steaming mug of strong coffee and gazes across the slopes of Lyscombe Hill, waiting for something to catch his eye. “He’d always sit there, every morning, watching and observing,” says Georgia Hinchcliffe, fondly sharing the most enduring memory of her father, the late designer-maker John Hinchcliffe. “Since I was a child, wherever we lived, I’d wake to find him sitting outside. Even in the rain.” John Hinchcliffe, a prolific textile designer, artist, ceramicist and printmaker who loved the great outdoors, died in 2010 aged just 61. His chair may be empty today but his work lives on, thanks to the efforts of Georgia and her mother Wendy Barber. John’s death from pneumonia stopped him mid-flow; 40 BBC COUNTRYFILE
April 2014
April 2014
the papers, pencils and books in his barn studio at nearby Dewlish were left as if he’d popped out for his favourite downland walk.
Inspired by the seasons At the time, as well as teaching art at Milton Abbey School near Blandford Forum in Dorset, and taking commissions for illustrations, he had been handprinting his Months of the Year series. He’d originally created the collection of 12 linocut pictures for chapters of Alan Taylor’s book, The Country Diaries (Canongate Books, 2008). “He was planning to print 100 of each,” says Wendy. “But he died before he got going.” Georgia and Wendy have taken up the baton and printed the series as John intended. But rather than print them by hand, they approached Curwen Studio fine art printers near Cambridge and had the designs printed lithographically on Somerset velvet paper. The 12 designs capture everything John loved about the British countryside – its landscapes, wildlife and
TOP John Hinchcliffe’s Months of the Year series of linocuts has been reproduced as lithographic prints LEFT Some of the artist’s lino blocks, featuring the countryside subjects that he loved
Rosanna Morris is a freelance writer who is passionate about the countryside, arts and antiques. BBC COUNTRYFILE 41
discover
TOP John Hinchcliffe (1949–2010) making lino prints ABOVE RIGHT The artist’s lino blocks and tools ABOVE John’s design for August from his Months of the Year series FACING PAGE John’s daughter Georgia and his partner Wendy, whose home is filled with the artist’s work INSET Some of John’s ceramics in the kitchen
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built heritage. He charted the changing seasons month by month, depicting nesting garden warblers in hawthorn for May, a punt among reeds and willows on a river for June and an apple tree ripe for harvesting for October. While this series of prints is a favourite of both Georgia and Wendy (“they epitomise his work,” says Georgia), they are planning to bring more of his work into the public domain. “He had lots of ideas that he didn’t get the chance to follow through,” says Georgia. “We have about 200 lino blocks alone – it’s such a shame to see them collecting dust. It was hard to keep up with his creativity sometimes. He was always working on something new.” Whenever he had the chance, John headed out into the countryside. And it was while he climbed over stiles or ambled along chalk streams, weeded his dahlias or sat on the shingle at Ringstead Bay that he’d find inspiration for his work. He carried a small notebook in his pocket at all times and would often pause to note or sketch things down. It might be an observation about the look of wild garlic, the
wonderful blue skies above him, the field mushrooms he’d gathered or the friendliness of robins. “He was fantastically observant,” says Wendy. “When I first met him, I couldn’t believe the things he noticed.”
Shared passions John’s creative output was phenomenal. His career encompassed several roles and embraced diverse media. Born in Chichester in 1949, John spent his childhood growing up around Arundel and the South Downs in West Sussex. He trained at Camberwell School of Art and Design and the Royal College of Art, but even in London he kept true to his rural roots. “He used to grow radishes in Elephant and Castle,” says Georgia. In the 1970s, John made his mark in the field of contemporary crafts by weaving wall hangings and rugs. By the 1980s, he had teamed up with Wendy Barber, herself a painter and tapestry weaver, to start a studio ceramics and printed textile business. Together, the couple worked on designing, producing and licensing work for companies that included Poole Pottery, Next and John Lewis.
He was fantastically observant. When I first met him, I couldn’t believe the things he noticed
April 2014
During this time, the couple moved to Dorset with Wendy’s son and three daughters, and Georgia was born. The family moved between several homes in Dorset and also lived in Normandy for a few years. Their houses were always in tranquil spots surrounded by rich farmland, with enough ground to plant a small orchard and grow flowers and vegetables. “He and my mother always needed space,” says Georgia. “Our houses were chaotic – every surface was covered in books for inspiration. There was never a time in my childhood when my parents weren’t talking about their work. There were endless journalists and photographers arriving at our door. I once had to catch plates after they’d photographed them floating in the garden pond.” Georgia’s most cherished memories, however, always come back to how much her father loved to share his passion for the countryside. “He made me do all sorts of unusual things, like joining a mushroom society, sitting on steam engines, going carriage riding and learning to sail – he loved boats,” Georgia adds. “When we walked through the woods, he’d test me on my tree knowledge.” Gone but not forgotten, John has a memorial at Bingham’s Melcombe church, which stands in a cluster of trees hidden away from the world, close to the valley where he would sit every morning. The inscription reads simply ‘artist, craftsman and countryman’. CF April 2014
Keeping John’s work alive Georgia has joined Hinchcliffe & Barber, the business set up by her parents, and now works with Wendy. The pair continue to champion ceramics and textiles from the extensive archive of work by John and Wendy. “I feel like I’m bringing the Hinchcliffe back to Hinchcliffe & Barber. I’m not an artist like he was but I can take his work to new audiences.” Wendy is thrilled that Georgia has come on board. “Her father would have been so pleased,” she says. “I miss being able to say:
‘John, what do you think of this?’ But now I have Georgia.” Using the designs John produced over a 30-year period, the pair hope to undertake licensing collaborations with potteries. They already sell cups, jugs, bowls and platters in ranges such as Dorset Delft and Spongeware. In addition, Wendy draws on the archive and reinvents designs to use on new products that suit modern day living. www.hinchcliffeandbarber.com
More info An exhibition of John’s work is on show at Society Café, in Bath, until 2 May www.society-cafe.com Months of the Year single prints are £80 unframed, £120 framed (including P&P). The full set is £755 unframed and £1,235 framed (including P&P). www.johnhinchcliffefineprints.com
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