Eric Ravilious ‘Mount Caburn’ Greetings Card.

Eric Ravilious ‘Mount Caburn’, watercolour, 1935.

‘Ravilious may have been sitting at his worktable when he painted the view north towards Mount Caburn. Here is the hard-working Mr Barnes again, in rather better weather, with a team of horses and that familiar roller. Another team pulls a harrow, while the solitary and almost imperceptible figure in the distance is sowing seed. This may seem a nostalgic picture, but in 1935 half a million Shire horses still worked on English farms; only after World War II did ploughman become tractor driver.

Mr and Mrs Barnes lived next door to Furlongs and, like the postman who handed letters in through the open window, and Mrs Soames the laundress, they were an integral part of everyday life. When alone at the cottage, Ravilious sometimes relied for sustenance on ‘scraps that fall from the Barnes’ table, gooseberry pie and whatnot’, but relations were not always good.

In April 1935, while he was working on this painting, there was a frightful row. Some sheets, a saw and other items had gone missing from the cottage and Ravilious was asked by Peggy to deliver a note to Mr Barnes on the subject. Mrs Barnes stormed in, protesting her innocence – yet somehow managing to produce the missing saw – and then threw a fit and collapsed. Ravilious carried her to the sofa.’

James Russell is an art historian, curator and author with a special interest in 20th/21st century British artists, and has published a number of books on the art of Eric Ravilious, including Ravilious, Ravilious in Pictures 1: Sussex and the Downs, Ravilious in Pictures 2: The War Paintings, Ravilious in Pictures 3: A Country Life, Ravilious in Pictures 4: A Travelling Artist, and Ravilious: Submarine, the last five of which are published by the Mainstone Press. James can be found on Twitter, Instagram, and also presides over a rather good blog.

Blank inside, so suitable for birthdays, anniversaries, and all occasions.

Dimensions: 178mm by 127mm (landscape).

Printed on 300gsm FSC approved Invercote card stock using high quality inks to retain the colours of the original image. Each card is supplied with a white laid envelope, so you can share them with friends and family.

Eric Ravilious (22 July 1903 – 2 September 1942) was an exceptional watercolourist, wood engraver and designer. He grew up in the shadow of the Sussex Downs in the coastal town of Eastbourne, the surrounding landscape of which heavily influenced many of his best known works. His instantly recognisable style, palette and choice of subject have an almost universal appeal, a blend which has increased in popularity with the passing of time, particularly in the first two decades of the 21st century.