Spirit of Place Norfolk

All England may be carved out of Norfolk. Here are fens and heaths, and light and deep, and sand and clay-ground, and meadows and pasture, and arable and woody...so grateful is this shire with the variety thereof

From History of the Worthies of England, 1662 by the English churchman and historian Thomas Fuller

A corner of England unlike any other

David Dimbleby A Picture of Britain, BBC 2005

Welcome!

This research project by art historian Catherine Mason is considering the work of contemporary artists in North Norfolk who focus their gaze on the uniquely beautiful sea, sky and landscapes of this part of the British Isles.

Spirit of Place is mapping professional artists living and working in North Norfolk* who use landscape as the major feature in their work. It is an attempt to understand better the genus of the place, its heart, its core, by an examination of the art work produced by the artists who are rooted in this place.

Painting of the Month:

Walking Toward The Marsh Bridge, Blakeney a new watercolour by Salthouse based artist John Hurst.  John's latest solo show is in the Harbour Rooms on the quay in Blakeney from Saturday 5th May to the 11th (opening 10 to 5 daily).  His work has recently been purchased by Scira Offshore Energy, following on en plein air sketching session on board a Scira vessel where John witnessed a turbine blade being lifted and fitted into place at the Sheringham Shoal Windfarm.  I think John may be the first artist to paint in-situ off-shore wind turbines.  A print of the painting has been produced to raise money for the Wells Maritime Trust, a local charity, and is available to purchase from the Harbour Office, Wells.  For more info see: http://www.marshlandarts.co.uk/news/

Histories of the Norwich school, the specific history of the Norfolk & Norwich Art Circle, a general publication on Art in East Anglia and various individual monographs of Norfolk artists have been published, however not until Spirit of Place has there been a comprehensive survey undertaken of contemporary landscape art in the North Norfolk region at the beginning of the 21st-Century.

To learn more about the project, please see here

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* For the purposes of Spirit of Place, the parameters of North Norfolk are as defined from Hunstanton in the West to Cromer in the East and inland to Fakenham and Aylsham. This encompasses parts (but not all) of West Norfolk and North Norfolk District Councils. It does not include the Broads or Norwich-based artists.

Charity Affiliation:

It is planned to publish Spirit of Place as a book with a percentage of sales benefiting local charities Homes for Wells and the Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT).

Homes for Wells aims to support the local community by providing housing for local people, keyworkers and their families who, due to low wages, need help to find housing. Because of the increasing popularity of the town for retirement and second homes, house prices have risen at such a rate that many locals are unable to afford to buy property in the town and are being forced to live elsewhere. If people cannot afford housing locally they will move, leaving essential services affected.

The NWT is the oldest of a national network of wildlife trusts.