Quentin Blake exhibit
Hay Castle in Hay-on-Wye, Wales
A few Saturdays ago, a curator for the illustrator Quentin Blake’s archive was in Hay and gave a talk at Hay Castle. Such a special thing to have in Hay and a delight to get the opportunity to see and hear Liz Williams talk through his life and work.
I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting, but the talk consisted of a quick look through Blake’s career as an illustrator. He is now 92 and still making an insane amount of illustrative work. She shared stories and images of his picture books, how he came to work with Roald Dahl and many others, and some of the more recent installations he has made for many hospitals and care homes around the UK.
I would have loved to see more of the installations, as those are not able to be viewed in context unless you need to visit the centers they inhabit for care.
I hesitate to admit it in writing, but the truth is that Blake has never been a favorite illustrator of mine. I admire his output and his immense body of work; but his style always feels unfinished, rushed, and a bit dated for my taste. (My daughters hold my opinion as well, unfortunately or not, and greatly prefer the original illustrations for much of Dahl’s beloved books like Fantastic Mr. Fox and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.) But I never turn down an opportunity to see a great illustrator’s work in person. It was interesting to hear more about him and his career. But I especially loved viewing the gallery after the talk. Seeing original illustration in person is always fascinating. I love being able to see the mistakes! The white-out, the scribbled notes, the erased pencil lines still slightly visible, the pasted over bits with the fixed illustration part. It is a marvelous peek into the creative process of another illustrator. And this exhibit also includes several of his early books which I find much more polished and detailed. I like them more than his later work and they feel very vintage 70s style and even remind me a bit of a favorite illustrator, Jack Kent!
It was a great treat to get to see the exhibit with the added addition of someone close to Blake and his work sharing some details. So glad for the opportunities such a special little town like Hay brings to my life and work. This exhibit is at Hay Castle through February.
Quentin Blake exhibit at Hay Castle.
Here are a few pieces that I liked and especially ones that I studied the mistake fix.
Quentin Blake illustration from Angel Pavement, 2004
This was my favorite illustration in the exhibit. It is a Charles Dickens’ portrait created for a pack of stamps for the Royal Mail in 1993.
The composition of this one is fantastic! Also, that orangey-red roof is just stunning and a great choice for the piece. Quentin Blake illustration from Snuff in 1973. This shows the tighter, 70s style that I really like and reminds me of Jack Kent’s work from the same era.
Another set of illustrations from Quentin Blake’s Snuff, 1973. The notes about the top left one crack me up. I haven’t seen this book and wonder why they pulled that illustration out. The other three are so fun with the splash of water, the bulbous belly of the man and the interactions of the two. Blake’s characters always have so much movement.
Detail from a Quentin Blake illustration in Snuff, 1973. Love the boots and the style. And seeing the white-out bits to clean up the blue boots makes me smile. I wonder what he had added to the cuff of the boots and then changed his mind?
Spread illustration by Quentin Blake from The Wild Washerwomen by John Yeoman, 2010. So much action and movement. Love the contrast of the filthy men and the washerwomen’s faces. Also, note the mistake and fix of the washerwoman in blue on the right.