Stamp succeeds in expressing the atmosphere, the feeling of a place. He is attracted to the melancholy, timelessness and tranquillity of both building and landscape. Since childhood he has been inspired by the rich medieval architecture of Norfolk, in turn developing an affinity with The Norwich School of Artists and in particular the work of John Sell Cotman. It is thus fitting that Stamp’s magnificent architectural watercolours are exhibited in The Norwich Castle Museum until September providing a perfect complement to Cotman’s Normandy compositions of 200 years ago.
’The great thing is that these watercolours give you the eye to see familiar things in an exciting, inspiring, new and strangely unfamiliar way. They are haunting, challenging and reveal the beauty around us that we so often take for granted, are blind to. They make you want to rush out and look at buildings. What more could any artist do? DAN CRUICKSHANK