Ruskin's Garden, Brantwood, Coniston

This was painted on the lawn in front of John Ruskin’s house, Brantwood, overlooking Coniston Water in the Lake District. I was artist in residence there with an exhibition of climate change work from an art-science collaboration with the Dept of Geography at Northumbria University in Newcastle upon Tyne. I made 4 large drawings on site and a set of sketches as well as taking visitors on guided walks to the top of the fell above the house to discuss climate science, art and society. John Ruskin had speculated on the role of industrial pollution in the changes he had observed in the weather in the mid 19th century. In fact most of the changes he was observing in the weather and the colours of the sunsets were to do with atmospheric aerosols from a large volcano in the far east, but nevertheless he was reflecting concerns that others had at that time of the human impacts of industrial pollution on the Earth’s weather and climate. We now have much better evidence than he did for the relationship between climate change and human created pollution. In the drawing you can see the observation turret Ruskin designed and had added to his vernacular house. It is based on architectural forms he observed in Venice and elsewhere from his European travels.