Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal near Ripon is launching a new art exhibition on Friday 14th June.
The exhibition ‘Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal - A Landscape Painters Perspective’ celebrates the work of northern landscape artist Peter M Hicks during his residency in 2023.
Commissioned by the National Trust, Peter M Hicks has created a collection of works in response to the designed landscapes of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden.
The resulting paintings, studies, and sketchbooks will be displayed in an upcoming exhibition from June to August in Fountains Mill.
Peter M Hicks has lived and worked for most of his life on the North York Moors close to the Yorkshire coast.
Inspired by the drama and immensity of the British landscape, Peter now in his eighties, has developed into one of northern England's leading landscape artists.
Peter M Hicks, Northern Landscape Artist said:
“The chance to work at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal late in life surprised me,
Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal may not have needed me to speak about its rich heritage and landscape vistas, but I have come to see that it has given me a chance to explore landscape and waterways in my own choice of texture, colour, and use of material and pictorial language."
The exhibition features selected studio objects such as paint pots and brushes, testimonials from Peter about his process, and his own workbench.
Peter works in abstract landscapes with acrylic washes on canvas and board - he makes his own benches, brush handles, and uses humble and accessible materials, such as old margarine pots for mixing his paints.
Justin Scully, General Manager at National Trust Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal said:
“I first met Peter in July 2022, when he had been invited to Fountains by renowned landscape photographer Joe Cornish.
Peter was reminiscing that he had sketched here many years ago and I politely said that it was time for him to visit us again, from such a brief conversation came great things.
The exhibition will run from Friday 14th June until Sunday 11th August in Fountains Mill.
There will also be artwork on display in the Tabernacle at Studley Lake in the water garden.
Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal is open year-round.
Admission is 10am – 4.30pm in summer, with car parks closing at 6.30pm.
Normal admission applies, entry is free for National Trust members and under-fives.
For more information visit their website here.
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