Andrew Carter, Artist-in-Residence at Fen Ditton Gallery, April 2025

*Andrew Carter at Fen Ditton Gallery, April 2025*

There is a calm, peaceful and joyful feeling about being in Fen Ditton. For a month I was given the opportunity to be Artist-in-Residence, living and working at the old school house which is the most lovely place a few hundred yards from the water meadows and the River Cam and close to Cambridge. I would like to thank Lotte and Hannah who run the gallery. They both made me feel so welcome and it was easy from the beginning to just be there, take it all in and make my work. I found it to be quietly inspirational and an experience that I will never forget.

My first day, I arrived and walked to Cambridge, down the lane, across the meadows and along the river bank, seeing cows grazing, watching reflections in the water, and listening to the sound of it all. I visited Kettles Yard, had a meal by the river and watched the punters; I saw the collection of paintings in the Fitzwilliam and then meandered back across the fields to Fen Ditton and had a pint at the local pub. What was I going to do? I had three whole weeks and wanted to use my time well.

Every day I got up early and walked down to the river, I saw the willow trees get their first leaves, watched the young cattle chomp on grass, saw the heron fly past, watched a kingfisher fishing. I saw the same willow stump each morning, spring into action, each day the water patterns, ripples and light changing. There is a soft, bright light in Cambridge with big skies. Two miles from Cambridge and the only sound of human activity is the quiet hum of the A14 and the sound of early morning rowers making their way back and forth. A place full of intricate natural pattern and silhouette, willows, alders, reeds, water, the meadow, sky, wildlife, the occasional conversation with strangers, the sound of nature; my very own 'spring watch'.

After thinking I might be lonely away from home I quickly got into a pattern of the day. Walking, looking, drawing, cutting printing blocks, printing and editioning 5 new prints. I had made a decision before arriving and had 100 sheets of Somerset Satin paper cut to 24 cm x 38 cm and managed to use them all.

*Reduction linocut workshop with Andrew Carter, Fen Ditton Gallery, April 2025*

Lotte Atwood, who lives at the Fen Ditton Gallery has become a very good friend; she is a photographer and has a very good eye and would tell me when she wasn't sure about a piece of work! I appreciated this and came to seek her approval on each editioned print. We had some inspiring walks in the local fenland, visited Ely, cooked, ate, talked about all sorts of things and watched a few good films. She has a wonderful family, with six grand children who would come and spend the day drawing on egg boxes and making craft and collages with wine corks and wax crayons. We ran a workshop for 12 students which was a great success, with everyone going away with a series of three colour reduction prints relating to the local landscape.

I cut 10 new lino blocks that made up my 5 prints. If I really went for it I could cut each of the more complicated blocks in about 10 hours. And I did, becoming obsessed with the music of Poppy Ackroyd, Claude Debussy, Vaughn Williams, Philip Glass and loads of other stuff to keep me going! Occasionally the door would ping open and a visitor would ask what I was doing and I'd show them round. Friends and family came to visit and stay and I would show them Cambridge, the river, the village and the local pub.

*Work in progress: The Cambridge Punt by Andrew Carter*

All the while, Hannah Munby who runs the gallery would be working behind the scenes, updating the website, filming studio activity, adding to instagram, organising the workshop and inviting people to the private view and exhibition. She is brilliant and is running a wonderful space and programme of exhibitions. I was very happy to have Hannah and Lotte help hang the exhibition. It is their place and they knew how to make it right. We hung twenty pieces of work and had a most enjoyable private view with more than forty people from near and far.

Reflecting on what I have learnt: Look at what is around me, respond to what is there, find a pattern for the day, listen to your critics; I phone home after 3 days and asked for advice!? '"Just make your own work, draw from what is there and do what you do best". When I got to towards the end I had two very long days printing from 7am till 11 pm and printed 5 complete editions of 10 prints plus 2 artist proofs.

I now have a head full of so many things I would like to make work about. The local landscape is magical and beautiful in its simplicity and each day I found new visual memories: A wren flying into a little hole in the old church wall to make its nest, a kingfisher hovering, almost static above the river Cam, eight rowers in perfect time making their way down the river, the early morning and hypnotic view of the water, the quietness of the morning.

Many thanks to Lotte and Hannah for giving me such a wonderful introduction to Fen Ditton, making me so welcome and giving me this opportunity to develop my art work.

The Cambridge Portfolio by Andrew Carter

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