Friday 11 November 2016

Slater's Sussex by James Trollope


Slater's Sussex by James Trollope
Published by the Towner Gallery with Eastbourne Borough Council and the Arts Council on 27th April 2013.

Where to buy this book:
Buy the paperback from Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk
Buy the paperback from Waterstones

How I got this book:
Bought the paperback from Towner Gallery

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"This is the first book to explore the life and work of Eric Slater, a colour woodcut artist who enjoyed international success in the 1930s but died in obscurity in 1963. He was one of a group of British print makers who adapted Japanese techniques to suit Western tastes. There are over 50 illustrations including 17 full colour plates. Most of his prints depict the Sussex landscape near his home in Seaford. As well as a list of his known works, there is a suggested walk through the countryside which inspired him."

I loved Eric Slater's artwork when it was included in the Point Of Departure exhibition at the Towner Gallery in Eastbourne in 2012. His woodcut prints were created during the 1930s and, as he lived much of his life in Seaford, several depict scenes local to where I then lived. The evocative images included in Point Of Departure had been chosen by James Trollope, an expert on Slater's work, and I was delighted to discover that James had also written a book about this artist. I treated myself to one of the first copies available!

I particularly love the seventeen full page colour reproductions of Slater's prints. Seeing them all together gives a wonderful feel for his work and of the period in which he created them. My favourites from the Towner exhibition are there as well as other landscapes and floral still life images. James Trollope has penned a fascinating biography of Eric Slater and also describes the Japanese technique he used. Slater's Sussex is an interesting read and I know I will pick it up to see the prints again and again.


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Books by James Trollope / Arts and culture / Books from England

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