Katy Alston

Lane Above Wistanstow

Jackson's Art Prize 2025
Tempera
Panel
27 x 35 cm

£750

“This painting is about the lane running down to Wistanstow and looking towards the historic limestone escarpment of Wenlock Edge. It’s a favourite walk of mine, and an old drovers’ road. Like most of my paintings it seems to be about the passing of time and the human influence on the rural landscape. Ravillious and Sutherland have been a long lasting influence on my work, I see their work in nature when I’m walking. The landscapes of Samuel Palmer were in the back of my mind for this painting and the link to the ancient countryside. The lane is deeply set in the landscape, having been there for many hundreds of years. The view from the top of the hedge bank shows the hedgerow full of variety of leaf including the poisonous Black Bryony, and the trees are set in the top of the bank, it’s about five feet high, built up over the years. The trees always seem quite muscular to me, they are all strong old oaks, and this is how I wanted the painting to be, strong and muscular and celebrating nature.”