About Angie Lewin: Patterns of Nature

This Spring, Watts Contemporary Gallery presents a solo exhibition of watercolours, prints, textiles and wallpapers by one of Britain’s best-loved artists. Angie Lewin: Patterns of Nature features over 40 works reflecting the artist’s strong connection to the natural world – including illustrations for Angie’s new book, The Book of Wild Flowers.

Angie Lewin’s distinctive prints, inspired by the clifftops and saltmarshes of the North Norfolk coast and the landscape of the Scottish Highlands, are widely admired and have established the artist as one of Britain’s most celebrated printmakers. Her work features in public and private collections around the world, including the V&A and Ashmolean Museum, and she has illustrated books for, amongst others, Penguin and Faber. She has designed fabrics for Liberty and for St. Jude’s, the company she founded and runs with her husband, Simon.

This exhibition follows Angie as she explores seashore, hedgerow, country lanes and garden. The plants and natural features she finds there inspire watercolours, linocuts and wood engravings, screenprints and lithographs in her distinctive, gentle style.

I’m looking forward to this wonderful opportunity to exhibit a broad range of my prints, watercolours, fabrics and wallpapers at Watts Gallery - Artists’ Village. The exhibition reflects the inspirational landscapes where I spend my time and which are the starting point for every pattern and image that I make.
- Angie Lewin

About the artist

Portrait photograph of Angie Lewin, a woman with shoulder length hair and glasses standing in an artist's studio

Angie Lewin, an artist deeply drawn to the intricate beauty of landscapes, finds her inspiration in the delicate details of interlocking plant forms. Her work focuses on the structure of native plants, capturing their intricate relationships and observing their transformations throughout the seasons, all influenced by their environment and climate.

Lewin's artistic journey began with studying Fine Art at Central School of Art and Design, followed by a postgraduate in Printmaking at Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts. Her quest for knowledge led her to pursue the RHS General Certificate in Horticulture and City and Guilds Garden Design, both of which have played a profound role in shaping her artistic expression.

Her creative toolbox encompasses a diverse range of mediums, including linocut, wood engraving, lithography, silkscreen, and watercolour. Often, she incorporates collages of printed Japanese papers onto objects gathered during her walking and sketching expeditions. Additionally, she designs fabrics and wallpapers using block-printed elements, brought to life through commercial printing for St Jude's, the company she co-founded in 2005.

In 2010, Merrell published Lewin's book "Angie Lewin Plants and Places" featuring her prints and watercolours. The book showcases her unique style and dedication to capturing the essence of nature. "The Book of Pebbles," written by Christopher Stocks and published by Thames & Hudson, features Lewin's illustrations throughout, further highlighting her artistic prowess. Her upcoming project with Christopher Stocks, "The Book of Wildflowers," is set to be published by Thames & Hudson in March 2024, promising to introduce her captivating style to a wider audience.

Lewin's art has garnered her membership in prestigious organisations like the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, the Royal Watercolour Society, the Society of Wood Engravers, and the Art Workers Guild.