In 2006 I was commissioned by Commissions North and Bett Homes to create an artwork for a new housing
development in Ponteland Northumbria (see Map of location).
The site was the old
lairage - the place where sheep and cattle were rested after
traveling to market and before their sale.
The new building
site was separated from the (still functioning) abattoir by
a high brick wall. I thought it appropriate that the new residents
of the site were reminded of the older ones. I was also very
interested to explore how viewers would respond to life size
cows and sheep in printed blue on porcelain – we are
used to them being miniaturized and domestic in scale featuring
on our printed tableware….
The foliage on which the cows and sheep lie and graze was generated by digitally cloning and collaging details from Thomas Bewick’s copper plate engraving The Kyloe Ox from Cherryburn, Bewick’s birthplace in Northumberland. You can visit Cherryburn as its a National Trust poperty, also home to the Bewick Society.
Below: Thomas Bewick The Kyloe Ox from the National Trust Cherryburn Northumberland
Below: Paul Scott and the Ponteland Cows. More images here
