Laura Ross
Communications Officer, Rye Harbour Nature Reserve
It's impossible not to notice that artist, designer and writer, Jim Northover has taken over the art wall at the Discovery Centre this month. His abstract interpretation of birds, all of which can be found at the nature reserve, are instantly recognisable despite their simplicity. Bringing a welcome pop of colour, to the slightly greyer days, I caught up with Jim to discover the inspiration behind his latest exhibition.
In a nutshell, how have you got to this point?
I moved to Rye with our young family in the early 80s, and loved it so much, that I've been here ever since. I’ve always drawn for as long as I can remember. On leaving school I studied art and then graphic design, a path I’ve been on for over 60 years. I've started up and ran an international design firm for many decades and now help organisations build their brands and tell their stories. I'm also a member of the Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve and Sussex Wildlife Trust. Last year I gave a talk at the Discovery Centre on the artist Paul Nash (1889 - 1946) who lived in Rye and the local area during the 1920s-30s.
You have a passion for nature and art - how do these work alongside each other?
My twin interests run in parallel, sometimes crossing over. Much of my painting and drawing focuses on landscape and the natural environment. I also make abstract and conceptual pieces. Identifying pattern, form and colour are important to a birder, just as they are to a designer. But it’s not only visual art. I write too, often taking inspiration from the world around us, especially birds and other wildlife. One of my poems (No.13 The Bee Orchid) features on the nature reserve’s Poetry Trail. I'm also part of the Rye Harbour Writers, a group of 14 poets that spun out of the Rye Harbour Nature Reserve 'Writer in Residence' a few years ago.
What inspired this collection and how do you create them?
Noticing a Greenfinch one day from my bathroom window as it was perching in a tree, I realised that a flash of green and yellow was enough to identify it. In the same tree a black shape with a touch of grey was recognisably a Jackdaw. From this experience I started playing with different bird shapes and colours, finally selecting a series of distinctive two-colour combinations that were the essence of each bird species. The images are screen-printed by hand – that density of flat colour and surface texture you don’t get with digital technology.
What do you love most about Rye Harbour Nature Reserve?
Sitting on the beach watching waders fly by or seeing terns dive for sand eels, noting the changing colours of the sea and the sky - that’s hard to beat.
Tell us something about you we might not already know
At home we have a small apple orchard, a wildflower meadow, two beehives, two dogs and a cat.
You can see more of Jim's drawings, prints and paintings here. You can also buy one of his t-shirts and prints designed for Curlew Action here.
This post is also available on Sussex Wildlife Trust website