Dramatic new artwork by Scarborough's Kane Cunningham on display at Ryedale Folk Museum

The artist and the land – Kane Cunningham’s ‘Northern Eutierria’ at Ryedale Folk Museum
Kane Cunningham’s ‘Northern Eutierria’ at Ryedale Folk MuseumKane Cunningham’s ‘Northern Eutierria’ at Ryedale Folk Museum
Kane Cunningham’s ‘Northern Eutierria’ at Ryedale Folk Museum

A series of dramatic new artworks by artist Kane Cunningham is now on display at Ryedale Folk Museum. Funded by Arts Council England, ‘Northern Eutierria’ brings together a selection of watercolours and oil paintings exploring the interconnectedness of the artist and the northern landscape during a year like no other.

The exhibition runs until Sunday 5 September and marks a new phase in Cunningham’s work, created in response to the conditions of lockdown.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"Cunningham has a strong awareness of the complex relationship between the landscape artist and the land, including the North York Moors that surround the Museum,” said Ryedale Folk Museum’s Director, Jennifer Smith. “What we are seeing now is that this has been augmented by the conditions of lockdown. We’re delighted to host this new work, showing a change in Cunningham’s working practices, the scale of work, even his materials.”

Kane Cunningham’s ‘Northern Eutierria’ at Ryedale Folk MuseumKane Cunningham’s ‘Northern Eutierria’ at Ryedale Folk Museum
Kane Cunningham’s ‘Northern Eutierria’ at Ryedale Folk Museum

“I have always felt uncomfortable painting without permission in the landscape," said Cunningham, “but this feeling became more extreme during lockdown, when we were told to Stay Home. For 20 years, I have travelled from Scarborough to St. Bees, coast to coast, but in early 2020 this journey had to become imaginary."

Though raised in Manchester, Cunningham is a long-standing resident of Scarborough and his art often responds to the landscape surrounding this coastal town – including the North York Moors to the west. The Lake District and other northern landscapes will also feature in the exhibition.

Once restrictions eased in the region, Cunningham resumed his normal painting methods, with much of his work taking place out of doors, following in the tradition of other landscape painters, including J M W Turner, who Cunningham cites as an influence.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Like Turner, Kane often works in watercolour: "It’s my preferred medium, because it is wonderfully expressive. It allows artists to work intuitively, outside in the landscape.”

Kane Cunningham’s ‘Northern Eutierria’ at Ryedale Folk MuseumKane Cunningham’s ‘Northern Eutierria’ at Ryedale Folk Museum
Kane Cunningham’s ‘Northern Eutierria’ at Ryedale Folk Museum

After lockdown, however, Cunningham found that he felt differently about his former working practices: “Even though I was now allowed to be outdoors, painting outside, I felt conspicuous in the landscape. I found myself wanting to be less visible, tucked away, sometimes even working from my van.

"For me, the landscape has often felt like a contested space," explained Cunningham. "The freedom to roam in the landscape and the battle over access to the moors is well documented. Walkers’ rights to travel through common land and open countryside were protected by the CROW Act in 2000. But lockdown added another layer of complexity to this."

Another side effect of lockdown has been a reconsideration of Cunningham’s use of materials. "With shop closures, it became impossible to browse art materials in specialist shops. I started experimenting with the natural resources surrounding me in the moors."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Having been unable for many months to paint in front of the landscape, Cunningham now found himself painting directly from it, literally using what he found. "I began experimenting with textures and colour,” he explains, “mixing materials from the land, such as peat, water and even sheep droppings, directly with gum Arabic.

"Working at Bank Top, not far from the Hollins Mine near Rosedale, I found deposits - limonite, the residue from iron ore mining. There’s a stream which is bright orange. It's very inspiring to paint with." What results is a new body of work in which Cunningham has developed his relationship with the land a stage further.

‘Northern Eutierria’ is on display in the Art Gallery at Ryedale Folk Museum, in Hutton-le-Hole in the heart of the North York Moors National Park, until Sunday September 5.