I loved this glimpse of Raverat in her creative and determined old age. As a childhood reader of Lucy Boston, I look forward to rekindling memories here.
Thanks Rona - and there's a strong river connection in Lucy Boston's work too, of course. I wish I had read her novels in childhood, but her memoirs are certainly a great discovery now.
What a delightful essay. The photo of Gwen painting be the river in her ‘curate’s cap’ with the curious cow in the foreground, makes me dizzy with joy. Thank you for bringing us the lovely details of her life.
Thank you for the callout, and congratulations on 500 subscribers!
Thank you, Mary! It's a great photo isn't it - I'm glad no one attempted to shoo away the curious cow. Gwen was certainly oblivious to it, lost in the happiness she felt in her work (it's a wonderful feeling when that happens). I am grateful for your writing too, keep it up.
Thanks Victoria - it's hard to resist those watery metaphors - and I did enjoy thinking about what the river, and painting outdoors, meant to Gwen Raverat. A form of healing after pain.
Love the idea of building a community here, very happy to belong to yours too.
I got chills from Raverat's determination to make art despite her stroke. It also reminds me to sit in gratitude and more importantly, do the work! Glad I found you here Ann!
Thanks Bernadine, it's very good to be in touch with you! Yes, Gwen Raverat's work was so important to her and saved her, I think, during many dark times in her life. Very heartening that she was able to do it until almost the end.
That is a good point...that her work saved her during the dark times. I find the most joy and the most presence when I am deep in work. Noone is looking and no guarantee anyone will ever look or contemplate "my work." Yet, the work is everything--it too liberates me. :)
Ann, there is a wonderful community here and congratulations on the quick growth of your readership. That is wonderful. Not sure if you have connected with Kate Jones. She writes A Narrative of Their Own which focuses on women in literature.
Thank you for your good wishes, Matthew, and I'm enjoying your 'life and literature' posts very much. I love Kate Jones's Substack, and hope to connect with her soon too. It's great to be part of the positive community here, and as you say, give up on older, more toxic social media!
Congratulations on your 500 milestone! It's an amazing achievement in such a short time and it's good to have some Substack company over here in Cambridgeshire!
The photo of Gwen painting! And to know what she has gone through to be able to sit there and paint, it makes it so poignant and beautiful. Thank you for this lovely post, it's been wonderful to learn more about her and her work.
Exactly! I couldn't admire Raverat more. And I think that writing her memoir, and rediscovering her love of painting, was a way of healing from the pain of her past. Thanks for your very kind words too, Katy.
I love Gwen Raverat's woodcuts - the play of light and shadows etc. And there was something so poignant about her life: her connections to Cambridge, Rupert Brooke, and the Bloomsbury Group; the fact she witnessed/experienced the romanticism of the early-1900s so swiftly shattered by the First World War; the way her personal tragedies seemed to mirror the wider traumas playing out at that time.
That's a very good observation, James - she really was part of the generation who found freedom in their creative work, only to see so many lives ruined by two wars. And yes, her woodcuts are fabulous!
Many thanks, Jeffrey - I am thrilled to be part of this wonderful community. I agree with you about the photo, which says so much about Raverat, not least being unfazed by a cow's friendly attentions!
Just that I enjoyed reading this. I had a stroke recently so know something of what Ravaret went through I kept up 3 blogs until my stroke. I hope to go backl one id on women's art, Jane Auste, and the 18th cetury. I wrote series of blogs I called foremother poets, women painters, actresses https://reveriesunderthesignofausten.wordpress.com/ Ellen
I loved this glimpse of Raverat in her creative and determined old age. As a childhood reader of Lucy Boston, I look forward to rekindling memories here.
Thanks Rona - and there's a strong river connection in Lucy Boston's work too, of course. I wish I had read her novels in childhood, but her memoirs are certainly a great discovery now.
What a delightful essay. The photo of Gwen painting be the river in her ‘curate’s cap’ with the curious cow in the foreground, makes me dizzy with joy. Thank you for bringing us the lovely details of her life.
Thank you for the callout, and congratulations on 500 subscribers!
Thank you, Mary! It's a great photo isn't it - I'm glad no one attempted to shoo away the curious cow. Gwen was certainly oblivious to it, lost in the happiness she felt in her work (it's a wonderful feeling when that happens). I am grateful for your writing too, keep it up.
So inspiring! I love the Raverat details and I love the community you are building here. (Here’s to more high-water-mark metaphors too--)
Thanks Victoria - it's hard to resist those watery metaphors - and I did enjoy thinking about what the river, and painting outdoors, meant to Gwen Raverat. A form of healing after pain.
Love the idea of building a community here, very happy to belong to yours too.
Thank you so much for the mention! I'm looking forward to sharing more of your insights in 2024
My pleasure, Sarah - it will be an exciting year for you, with your book coming soon. Thanks for your encouragement and making me feel welcome here.
I got chills from Raverat's determination to make art despite her stroke. It also reminds me to sit in gratitude and more importantly, do the work! Glad I found you here Ann!
Thanks Bernadine, it's very good to be in touch with you! Yes, Gwen Raverat's work was so important to her and saved her, I think, during many dark times in her life. Very heartening that she was able to do it until almost the end.
That is a good point...that her work saved her during the dark times. I find the most joy and the most presence when I am deep in work. Noone is looking and no guarantee anyone will ever look or contemplate "my work." Yet, the work is everything--it too liberates me. :)
What a beautiful exploration, full of detail. I love the photograph with the 'curate's cap' .
Thanks Wendy! It’s a great photo isn’t it- Gwen was unconcerned about friendly cows and fashion dictates, clearly.
Ann, there is a wonderful community here and congratulations on the quick growth of your readership. That is wonderful. Not sure if you have connected with Kate Jones. She writes A Narrative of Their Own which focuses on women in literature.
Thank you for your good wishes, Matthew, and I'm enjoying your 'life and literature' posts very much. I love Kate Jones's Substack, and hope to connect with her soon too. It's great to be part of the positive community here, and as you say, give up on older, more toxic social media!
The cow and the bike are so very Cambridge! Also I saw high water levels once or twice while there but nothing like that!
Yes, I think it's an unusually wet winter... or a sign of things to come. A rowing boat might come in useful.
Congratulations on your 500 milestone! It's an amazing achievement in such a short time and it's good to have some Substack company over here in Cambridgeshire!
Thanks Yasmin! Very nice to meet a Cambridgeshire neighbour too.
The photo of Gwen painting! And to know what she has gone through to be able to sit there and paint, it makes it so poignant and beautiful. Thank you for this lovely post, it's been wonderful to learn more about her and her work.
Exactly! I couldn't admire Raverat more. And I think that writing her memoir, and rediscovering her love of painting, was a way of healing from the pain of her past. Thanks for your very kind words too, Katy.
I love Gwen Raverat's woodcuts - the play of light and shadows etc. And there was something so poignant about her life: her connections to Cambridge, Rupert Brooke, and the Bloomsbury Group; the fact she witnessed/experienced the romanticism of the early-1900s so swiftly shattered by the First World War; the way her personal tragedies seemed to mirror the wider traumas playing out at that time.
That's a very good observation, James - she really was part of the generation who found freedom in their creative work, only to see so many lives ruined by two wars. And yes, her woodcuts are fabulous!
Congratulations on reaching so many readers and I loved the photo of Gwen Raverat painting on Coe Fen
Many thanks, Jeffrey - I am thrilled to be part of this wonderful community. I agree with you about the photo, which says so much about Raverat, not least being unfazed by a cow's friendly attentions!
Just that I enjoyed reading this. I had a stroke recently so know something of what Ravaret went through I kept up 3 blogs until my stroke. I hope to go backl one id on women's art, Jane Auste, and the 18th cetury. I wrote series of blogs I called foremother poets, women painters, actresses https://reveriesunderthesignofausten.wordpress.com/ Ellen