Judy Parker

Copperplate Monoprint 05 of 18

<p>Fulfilling a need to focus on one thing and letting all else fall away for awhile.</p>


The rugged mountains, forests, and waters of the Lake District in the northwestern corner of England attracted artists and poets of the Romantic movement. In 1797, J. M. W. Turner visited the area and filled many sketchbook pages with pencil drawings of the terrain. In subsequent years, he made larger watercolors, such as this one, based on his on-site sketches. Here he gives us a northward view of River Derwent in the Borrowdale Valley. Beyond Longthwaite Bridge, two low but prominent hills—Castle Crag to the left and Grange Fell to the right—narrow the valley, creating “The Jaws of Borrowdale.” Turner’s sketch of the bridge survives at Tate Britain museum in London, and its battered condition attests to Turner’s repeated reference to it for the production of watercolors.

Conservation of this watercolor was made possible by a generous contribution from the Blackman-Helseth Foundation.

Judy Parker
Copperplate Monoprint 05 of 18, monoprint on an abandoned copperplate

Inspired by:

Borrowdale, with Longthwaite Bridge and Castle Crag, 18th-19th century — Maker: Joseph Mallord William Turner R.A. — Watercolor over graphite

What does inspiration mean to you?

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Judy Parker Copperplate Monoprint 05 of 18, monoprint on an abandoned copperplate

Inspired by:

Borrowdale, with Longthwaite Bridge and Castle Crag, 18th-19th century — Maker: Joseph Mallord William Turner R.A. — Watercolor over graphite

What does inspiration mean to you?

Connect with the artist

Judy Parker
Copperplate Monoprint 05 of 18, monoprint on an abandoned copperplate