MAKING OF THE WANDERER
Born in the 16th Century
My dad was a classicist, and one of his most treasured possessions was a copy of Virgil printed in 1515—a book we were not allowed to touch as children.
He told me incredible stories of one-eyed giants, women with snakes for hair, and people wandering in strange lands.
Best of all were the woodcuts that illustrated them.
My favourite was a humble scene of two farmers in a field. A storm is coming, and they are worried about their crops.
Forty years ago, I carved my own copy. I still have the wooden block and can still print from it.
Cutting up one of my prints I combined the two figures. I liked the pose of the man holding a sheaf of wheat and the staff carried by his companion.
Together they formed the Wanderer—the figure who now journeys through this series of paintings.
Follow his journey as he finds himself in strange landscapes.
