Center Parcs, inside out
As part of the build of Woburn Forest, Jessica Pearce, Woburn Press Officer set about finding an artist to create an interpretation of the new Village as a celebration.
At the end of the commission process it was local artist, David Litchfield, who was selected. But Mary Nuttall, an artist from Kent, was so inspired by the idea of the new Village that she couldn’t bring herself to put down the paintbrush.
“Having found me through my website, Jessica got in touch to request a quote for a painting of Woburn Forest,” says Mary. “Despite the fact I didn’t know whether I would be chosen, I set to work immediately as the deadline was tight.”
Mary painstakingly set to work on creating her masterpiece: “I initially sketched the painting and masked out the window frames with masking fluid. This enabled me to paint in the reflections and when the paint was dry, rub off the masking fluid which left a clean, white window frame structure in place. I then began to work on the lake and grass foreground, gradually building up the painting layer by layer adding depth, colour definition.
“The painting took approximately 30 hours to complete.”
‘I was in heaven’
Mary’s delicate and colourful work is indicative of an expert touch, so it may come as a surprise that she only picked it up by chance. “I was always drawing and sketching as a child and about 15 years ago my father suggested I went to his art club,” she says.
“The artist put her board on the floor and began painting in such a free, impressionistic way. I was hooked and knew immediately that was what I wanted to do. I signed up for a four-day summer workshop and was in heaven. I have continued to paint as much as I can, pushing myself continuously to stretch and develop my style.
“About 15 years ago my father suggested I went to his art club. I was hooked and knew immediately that was what I wanted to do”
“My inspiration comes from a million and one things, sometimes the smallest glint of light on the side of a vase, the first daffodil or a gorgeous country landscape. I use a fairly loose, impressionistic style in a bid to capture the freshness and spontaneity of my composition.”
Mary has exhibited widely in the UK and was most notably commissioned by Harrods to paint for its Signature range.
