John Guest “Man with Plumage”

Mill Tye Gallery
Aug 9, 2020
1 min read

“Man with Plumage” was the last etching I made at Gainsborough’s House Print Workshop before it closed for refurbishment, and before Covid.

I work organically: a piece of work bears the fruit of its predecessor and contains the seeds of the next piece; its roots go way back, years if not decades, with images and forms popping up again like long-lost friends. Add to this stealings and borrowings from other artists, some very obvious, some not so, and it’s difficult to say what the sources are for an etching or drawing.

Recently I have been playing with bird, insect and plant images, following them as they morph and swop parts. It was only a matter of time before human shapes made an appearance with their ridiculous crowns, caps and wigs that pretend and disguise - useful tools for artists, and others.