DRAGONS RELEASED IN NORTH NORFOLK

Norwich Castle Museum Pageant

Since the early 15th century through to the 1950’s, Norwich, once England’s second city, held a procession featuring, at its focus, a dragon! A Mask from one such medieval pageant, last worn in 1850, is now one of the most famous exhibits in city’s Castle Museum. Widely known as ‘Snap’, for as the beast proceeded through the streets he snatched boys’ caps, hence the old cry ‘Snap! Snap! Steal a boy’s cap!’

During 2017/18 Artist BARRIE MORRIS created a series of paintings to celebrate many of Norfolk’s myths, mysteries and folklore entitled QUIRKS & QUIDDITIES. Central to the collection was a magnificent portrayal ‘The Norwich Snap-Dragon’ leading a flaming torch lit parade of faces, creations and creatures evocative of a time when superstition and religion were to the fore of society. With a full moon aiding the illumination of the nocturnal procession, William the Conqueror’s magnificent castle forms the back drop to the extraordinary scene.

QUENTIN KING of Harwood King Fine Art Printers requested permission to develop the Barrie Morris painting into a silkscreen print – what a challenge! Quentin was looking for something that would allow him to develop a supreme example of the labour intensive process – and so nearly ten months later the ‘magic’ has been worked. The result, a superb image true to Barrie’s original painting but with subtle additions and nuances that employ the artist’s input and the printers expertise. Some 38 individual screens in acrylic and gouache paints, each precisely aligned onto the heavyweight paper, provide something that seems more a painting than a print.

Keeping the Dragon special, just 37 sheets are in the edition each individually signed and numbered by the artist 1/37 through 37/37. And a unique twist, there are a further six Artist Proof sheets which Barrie will be adding to in his studio, at the time of writing one of these has been embellished with a parliament of owls whilst others can be given the ‘Morris Twist’ by request, let your imagination run riot but hurry….only six of such will ever leave the studio!

The Red Dot Gallery in Holt, North Norfolk, is proud to represent the artist and to have the exclusive access to ‘The Norwich Snap-Dragon’ which is now fully available via the gallery and thus more than one dragon is released in North Norfolk!

Click here to see silk screen details