Diggle-based artist John Hewitt is an invited exhibitor at London’s Mall Galleries this month, as part of the ING Discerning Eye exhibition. The exhibition is a show of small works independently selected by six prominent figures from different areas of the art world.
Three of John’s drawings are on show. One is of a horse near Ridge Lane, the second is of a hen near Carr Lane, and the third depicts the artist’s dog with Carr Lane behind.
Most of John’s artworks are pencil portraits of local animals in their Saddleworth settings. They are small in scale – between eight and nine inches square – and drawn with a very fine lead point and the aid of a magnifying glass. Some of the detail is too small to make out with the naked eye, but John says that he likes the idea that a drawing holds secrets. He is interested in the relationships the animals have to the historic landscape, and their changing roles in people’s lives. Some of the animals that he has drawn have a working function on Diggle farms and smallholdings, while others are kept out of kindness. He always names the animal and its location in the title of the each drawing, and enjoys the opportunity of promoting Diggle on London gallery walls.
The ING Discerning Eye Exhibtion is open until 20 November, but all the exhibits can be viewed online until the end of the year, at www.discerningeye.org.
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