East Anglia

The burnt sienna and violet hues of this distinctive palette define Forster’s reflection of the East Anglian landscape.  Suggestions of both a peaceful yet moody and stormy scene are possible from the unique combination of colour. There are implications in the work of a once vibrant fishing industry that has perhaps given way to something more picturesque, yet there is still urgency in the drawing and composition of this work that pertains to something more vital.  There is a wonderful tradition of landscape painting in East Anglia including artists such as John Constable, Thomas Gainsborough, and Edward Seago.

‘The driving influence to this painting’, Forster remarks, ‘is the tide. The low lying land of East Anglia is perhaps greater exposed to the sea as anywhere in Britain. I wanted to capture the wonderful low horizon lines of this landscape. This is about slippery wet mud of sand eels and worms and flocks of birds. More than in any other painting, I really wanted the sky, the land, and the sea to mirror each other; not just in terms of the colours but of the shapes.  My hope was to capture the twisting, turning nature of the water and tide.

‘As with all Uberpaintings, the long shadows are an essential construct to the work. I use these heavily to provide a hint to continuity from outside the constraint of the composition. It must be recognised that in all painting as with the way we see the world, there are objects that influence the image we are looking at, without neccessarily being able to see them ourselves. So I want the viewer to imagine a larger landscape, their landscape, an Uberpainting must make the viewer work; on one hand being accessible yet are physically and metaphorically multi-layered.’

Anglia is steeped in ancient and modern history, from the Anglo-Saxon settlements of Sutton Hoo, to the long line of distinguished artists that have been inspired by the area. Norfolk is host to the Sandringham Estate, with 60 acres of gardens, set upon the wider country park of 600 acres of woodland and heath, open to the public.