From what source does the gardening interest come? For me it was the thrill of seeing seeds and small plants growing into flowers, and the love of the outdoors. In 1931 Edward Bawden RA (1903-89) and Eric Ravilious (1903-42) began to explore rural Essex and found Brick House at Great Bardfield. They rented part of the house and then in 1932 Edward Bawden`s father bought it for him and his wife Charlotte. From this time other artists began to make Great Bardfield their home and to paint, although not exclusively, the Essex landscape. Other subject matter for painting and designing were gardens and plants.
Edward Bawden had established himself on the national art scene, as an accomplished painter, muralist, designer of posters for London Underground, ceramics, wallpapers, illustrations and as a teacher. He had enrolled at the Royal College of Art in 1922 and in 1923 illustrated a book called `A General Guide to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Spring and Easter, 1923. He was not just interested in the plants, but in the buildings, historic characters, romance and patronage that had led to the creation of the gardens. The General Guide contains material for his future commercial work, particularly `Adam and Evelyn at Kew`, `Dragons and a Bell`, Ambrose Heath`s cookery books, the Gardener`s Choice (1936,) and the Gardener`s Diary, which was published in 1937 by Country Life.
The images of Kew and the Pagoda, the Palm House and the cacti formed a London Underground poster in 1939.The Pagoda formed an early image for Bawden in his sketch books and was used in his linocut, `The Pagoda, Kew Gardens` in 1963 where the four lowest tiers are given centre-stage against a silhouette of the entire building, which is smaller and less imposing.
From the time he moved to Great Bardfield Edward Bawden began to develop a garden and his scrap books contain letters on garden-related matters from friends such as John Nash, with whom he exchanged seeds and plants. Nash praised Bawden as `the most punctilious sort of good gardener` who always sent the plants he promised.
In 1934 Eric Ravilious and his wife Tirzah moved from Brick House to Castle Hedingham. However Ravilious made frequent trips to Wiltshire, and, to Sussex in order to paint his own home county. His preferred medium was watercolour. In `Walled Garden` (1932) he used hot colours and placed the sun in the middle of the picture to paint a traditional watercolour. However in `Strawberry Nets` (1932) the viewer is positioned so that the Downs and the Cedar tree are seen through the strawberry nets. The path by the hedge keeps the viewer in the picture and leads the eye through the strawberries to the far side of the nets. Gardens, with the natural forms of plants contrasted with the geometric shapes of walls, greenhouses, trellis and gazebos were a favourite subject for Ravilious. In Castle Hedingham (1936) parts of the walls, and houses are juxtaposed with trees, hedges and climber to create a glimpse into back gardens. Greenhouses and the tea party appeared in prints, watercolours, on ceramics and in book illustrations. Natural form and geometric shapes are in `Carnation House` (1938) where the focal point is the door but there is difficulty in reaching it over the hose, the watering can, and the towering plants. These tall plants are also in `Carnations and Geraniums` (1938) where the way through the glass house is less clear also as the viewer has to step over a sack and a hose.
Great Bardfield attracted other artists and in 1955 they began to exhibit together (although there had been exhibitions in 1942 and 1951). They were John Aldridge RA, Lucie Aldridge, Edward Bawden, George Chapman, S. Clifford-Smith, Audrey Cruddas, Joan Glass, Walter Hoyle, Duffy Rothenstein, Michael Rothenstein and Marianne Straub. The artists opened their homes to the public in order to display their paintings, prints, and textiles. This arrangement enabled the public to see artwork in a non-commercial environment and to talk to the artists. In addition to his home `The Place` being open, John Alridge (1905-83) had his garden open as well. His garden was a mixture of well-maintained lawns, colourful perennial beds, mature trees and shrubs and hedges and he was assisted in its development by Fred Mizen, Edward Bawden`s gardener.
John Aldridge had befriended the painter, Cedric Morris (1889-82), who turned to plants and gardens as his subject matter. It was through him that John Aldridge became a member of the Seven & Five Society, exhibiting with them at the Leicester Galleries in 1931. In 1932 he moved to `The Place` in Great Bardfield to be able to live within his means, to paint, and to develop a garden, which he did over the next fifty years. The garden was also a subject for his paintings and he painted many different views of the house and gardens. He drew and sketched constantly and was able to retain a strong visual memory of the scene, making the right choices of style and colour in his painting. In February Afternoon (1958), the geometric shapes of the buildings, the hedges and the wall, contrast with the softer forms of the bare trees to create an expressive work of art.
Artists respond to their environment and what they see around them in many different ways. These artists interest in gardens and plants provided much inspiration for their paintings and design work.