Humphrey Stanley
This is a fine art reproductive print of an original watercolour.
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The Old Oak
Horse Shoe Bend – Ross-on-Wye
Print Size: 30cm x 41cm £95
Mounted Print: 40cm x 50cm £115
Framed Print: 43cm x 53cm £185
Standing on the floodplain known as Horseshoe Bend, this magnificent oak is surrounded on three sides by the River Wye. It is the sole survivor of what was once a group of ancient oaks that grew in the area.
Tradition holds that the tree was planted during the reign of Henry VIII, making it more than 500 years old. Over the centuries, the central section of the trunk has completely decayed, creating the illusion of two separate trees. Only an iron rod holding the two halves together, along with historical photographs, reveals that it was once a single, magnificent oak.
Stanley Humphrey
Most of Humphrey’s life has been spent in the British countryside. He was brought up on farms in the Chiltern and the Cotswold Hills. After studying art and graphic design he entered the world of advertising where he worked as a visualiser, designer and illustrator.
Looking at nature from unusual, engaging angles led to his interest in and creating of illustrated maps. The bird’s-eye-view, together with a lifelong love of trout fishing prompted his first fishing maps which have been commissioned worldwide.
More recently ‘commercial’ art has given way to “his own” art capturing his preferred subjects; birds, fish, trees, architecture, dogs and the countryside.
“At last I paint subjects that are close to my heart; wildlife, trees, water, air, light….. natural moments glimpsed and interpreted in watercolours and acrylics. In each picture I hope to engage the viewer and open up fresh thoughts about this wonderful natural world, this world that is shared by us all but too often goes unnoticed.”