Arundel

John Chisnall works mainly in watercolour, which he finds particularly well-suited to catching both the atmosphere and the detail of the architecture and landscapes he chooses to paint. Watercolour is not only portable, which is ideal when traveling, but it is also ‘immediate’, and it is this sense of immediacy which is central to the freshness and spontaneity associated with his work.

John Chisnall believes that Arundel, in West Sussex, is one of the most satisfying of towns to paint because it makes a naturally balanced composition from virtually any viewpoint. The town is built on the steep side of the South Downs looking out across the Arun valley and is dominated by the castle, built to defend the valley before it, and the cathedral. This view is taken from the meadows to the south-east, looking down the Arun river. The composition is particularly satisfying from this aspect, forming a natural pyramid rising above the river plain, and looks fine in any weather conditions and at any time of the year. The skyline is dominated by the main elements of the town; the castle on the right, the fourteenth-century parish church in the centre and the nineteenth-century cathedral on the left, whilst the town spread out on a steep slope down to the river.

Each print is hand signed by the artist and hand numbered.