“Visitors will be walking with me, and I like to think of myself walking with them. I shan’t mind if I get my feet wet.” Quentin Blake
As autumn arrives, a new season’s collection of Quentin Blake’s distinctive illustrations, influenced by wetlands and nature, give a new insight into the wonderful walking trails at WWT Caerlaverock, taking visitors to special places where they can sit back and enjoy the wildlife that thrives here.
Continuing the perfect partnership of nature and art, WWT and Quentin Blake are embracing a season filled with sensory experiences designed to delight and inspire visitors of any age.
At weekends from 11am-4pm, after being inspired by the seasonal highlights on our Drawn to Water trail, have a go at making a wetland creature from natural materials.
David Pickett, Site Manager at WWT Caerlaverock, said: “While every season is special at WWT Caerlaverock, autumn seems to be the perfect time to immerse yourself in nature as it’s such a sensory part of the year when the landscape is at its very best. The greens of summer start to transform into a riot of golds and browns when at their height, just envelop you in their beauty. And of course, it’s a season that has inspired some truly stunning art, so we’re thrilled to continue this year-long partnership with Quentin Blake and bring art and nature together.”
“And along with the changes in the landscape, our visiting species change, including Svalbard barnacle geese migrating from arctic Norway, and whooper swans arriving from Iceland. This really is a chance to see why wetlands are so wonderful and why they influence so many artists.”
Misty mornings and early evening sunsets at WWT Caerlaverock provide a perfect place to not only get a glimpse into the lives of birds on site, but to take inspiration from them to create art, from watercolour paintings to captivating photography.
To celebrate this, the collaboration has also prompted a national art competition where artists of all abilities can enter their work to be in with a chance of winning a unique, embossed Quentin Blake wetland print. With runners-up receiving copies of the Quentin Blake Papers and free entry into a site of their choice.
Using the wonder of WWT wetlands as a theme, entrants are invited to initially submit a photograph of a 2D piece of art – which could be a drawing, illustration, painting or photograph – which will be looked at by a panel of judges from Quentin Blake’s studios and WWT. The competition opens on September 4 and closes on December 31, winners will be announced in January.
For information about what’s happening near you or more details on the art competition, visit https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/quentin-blake-drawn-to-water/
