JONATHAN WALKER | The First Season
Watercolour
30 x 21 cms / 11¾ x 8¼ inches
Signed 'Jonathan Walker' (lower left)
The First Season by Jonathan Walker is an evocative equestrian watercolour that captures the quiet intensity of a young rider’s introduction to the hunt. A fox, dressed in a traditional red coat and top hat, rides forward through a wintry landscape, the horse emerging from soft washes of blue, violet and grey. Walker’s loose, confident brushwork and minimal detail give the scene a sense of movement and anticipation, while the limited palette enhances the crisp, seasonal atmosphere. The painting reflects themes of tradition, initiation and rural heritage, combining humour and restraint within Walker’s distinctive narrative style.
Jonathan Walker grew up in the heart of the Staffordshire Moorlands. He spent much of his childhood exploring the countryside in the company of his father and it is this closeness to nature that has inspired his artistic career.
The badgers, foxes and voles that Walker witnesses in nature near his home in Dartmoor have inspired his masterful watercolours. Walker’s rare ability to give to each of the animals he depicts their unique characteristics and personas, while dressing them up in old cast off human garments never robs them of their intrinsic “animalness”.
Although rooted in the heritage of English illustration it is Jonathan’s unerring draughtsmanship and his humour that nevertheless makes his work unmistakably contemporary. His pallet is true to the siennas and ochres of the real landscape, but his characters, however, are of the mould and grime of the soil, unsentimental and honest.
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