Today I'm sharing the art of Christopher Wormell. Perhaps because I grew up with old books around me, I have an abiding love for the art of wood engraving. I've blogged about
Thomas Bewick, one of the greatest wood engravers of all time, and about
Elliott Banfield, whose pen and ink drawings resemble wood engraving. Now it's time to showcase the multi-talented Chris Wormell of England.
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| Graphis, January/February 1992 |
To fully appreciate Christopher Wormell's engravings, it helps to know that he had no formal art training. Early on, Wormell worked a series of manual jobs, including road sweeper and factory worker, earning just enough to take breaks to paint landscapes.
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| Graphis, January/February 1992 |
When Wormell decided to take up wood engraving, he bought the tools and taught himself. Working in reverse, which this art form requires, came quite naturally to him, and the results were elegant and soon much sought after — both in England and the United States. These first two images are from the book English Country Traditions, published by V & A Publications.
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| Graphis, January/February 1992 |
I like how Wormell has achieved the house's reflection in this engraving for a property development company.
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| Graphis, January/February 1992 |
Here's a Christmas card Wormell designed for Alphabet Typehouse — see the "A?"
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| mendolaart.com |
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| mendolaart.com |
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| mendolaart.com |
Christopher Wormell also creates distinctive images with linoleum. Their highly graphic quality are in the great tradition of English pub signs.
Here's an image from the first of many children's books Wormell has illustrated, An Alphabet of Animals. I like the light green shadow on the zebra's body, or perhaps it's a reflection.
Today, Christopher Wormell is a hugely successful and well-loved illustrator of children's books, now working primarily in watercolor.
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Beautiful work... I love wood cuts and it's a great story.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting, Deana. I love woodcuts, too, and this posting got me to thinking that I ought to give it a try. Perhaps for this year's Christmas card.
DeleteHello Mark, I like the way Wormell uses fewer and stronger lines to create a hyper-realistic effect, yet he is able to capture both the appearance and the charm of his subjects.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite here is the beer caps among the pebbles--at once attractive, clever, and amusing, a very difficult combination to achieve. Another paradox is the way Wormell advertises that beer while ironically criticizing the littering of the caps. Although the style is different, the color palette and the use of black remind me of the work of Michael Schwab you wrote about earlier.
--Road to Parnassus
Hello, Jim.
DeleteYou know, I didn't make the connection of Wormell's linoleum cuts to Michael Shwab's designs until you mentioned it! But there's obviously a strong graphic look that attracts me.
I think you might be right about the irony of the beer caps as litter. As Wormell became more and more successful as an advertising artist, he could choose clients, and I've read that he would refuse those that he deemed unfriendly to the environment. In the 1990s, he refused illustrating for nuclear energy.
Mark, I was a children's bookseller for many years. Christopher Wormell's work stood out for its craftsmanship. People forget that the work we look at gets absorbed into us. The better the work we look at, the better we are, I reckon. His influence, I am sure, I hope, is wider than can be calculated.
ReplyDeleteDear Gardener,
DeleteI absolutely agree with you on how important the early introduction of craftsmanship and beauty is to how we are formed — and in turn, what we then expect as consumers, and the standards we set for ourselves.
I was very lucky, as I mentioned in the post, to be surrounded as a child by beautiful books. (There are actually certain paper and printing smells that will recall my childhood!)
Dear Mark - I do know Christopher Wormell's book illustrations that he did for the Roald Dahl's Treasury, but was unaware of his exquisite wood engravings and linocuts. I am glad that you pointed out the fact that both wood engraving and linocuts require the artist to work in reverse, something that possibly most people do not appreciate.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed seeing the christmas card with the trees forming the letter A, and also the linocut of the beach with the beer caps cleverly integrated amongst the pebbles.
Dear Rosemary,
DeleteI was thinking of you and your talented family as I was posting the linocuts. I keep looking at those beer caps on the beach and thinking that the original print must be quite large. I am all the more impressed when people can achieve good lettering backwards!
The works are all such different styles really extraordinary Would Mr Wormell adapt his style as required for each assignment do you think ? or would it be left to him ?
ReplyDeleteThe elephant is masterful ...even the ground and the palms in the background are detailed .
You sent me back to Bewick , as always really fascinating
Hello, smr,
DeleteSpeaking as one who made my living in commercial art for many years, I can answer your question from my own experience. If an illustrator is adaptable to many styles, as I was (am), art directors will ask him to copy a style that they want for a particular job. In that case, it's usually cost effective for them.
However, if an illustrator has one very strong style, like Christopher Wormell's, art directors will seek him out for that particular style, and probably for subject matter that he's already done, like food illustrations or country scenes. An illustrator can therefore quickly feel as though he's in a rut.
My guess is that, while Wormell's early work was exquisite, he probably realized that it was so time-consuming that he was losing money and other jobs. He may have moved to the relatively simpler linocuts for that reason, as I moved away from detailed pencil drawings to do pen and ink work.
At any rate, Wormell has achieved a stature that allows him free reign.
Thanks for your detailed answer Mark...those of us not in the "industry" have no idea how these things work
DeleteDear Mark, Thank you for introducing us to yet another fine artist and his work. Wormwell has found his niche and how wonderful it is that he can pick and choose his assignments.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine and fine artist always sends christmas cards which were printed from her linocuts. I hope that you decide to give it a try.
Dear Gina - I used to create my own Christmas cards, too, when I worked as an illustrator, but that went by the wayside after I got in the newspaper business. But perhaps now I'll go back to making them . . .
DeleteLove this, Mark. I hadn't heard of Wormell till now - stupid me. Thanks for making me acquainted with his work.
ReplyDeleteWonderful stuff. Whenever I come over here, I learn something.
Hi, Yvette - Thanks for such a nice comment. Perhaps A Christopher Wormell book would eventually appeal to your new grandson.
DeleteGreat idea. :)
DeleteDear Mark,
ReplyDeleteI have always like Christopher Wormell's linocuts and engravings: simple subjects made beautiful.
I admit that I am not so keen on his coloured version but I do like his childrens' book illustrations and have some in our library.
My favourite of the examples you have given is the elephant.
Thank you for sharing the work of this wonderful illustrator and artist.
Bye for now
Kirk
Dear Kirk,
DeleteI believe that the elephant woodcut is one of Wormell's larger pieces (like several feet long). Whatever the size, I think his work is amazing . . .
What a wonderful introduction to an artist I did not know about. He does beautiful pictures, I feel much better off in the world from having seen his work.
ReplyDeleteMy Mother made linoleum block prints for Christmas cards. When I was a child I did not appreciate how personal and dear those were.
Thank you so much, if it were not for remarkable people like you a whole host of we blog readers would remain unenlightened. Ann
Thank you for the kind words, Linenqueen. I hope you were able to save your mother's linoleum block prints! I'm fortunate to have several paintings by my father that I see daily.
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