Four contemporary Illustrators give their interpretation of The Lady of Shalott Lord Tennyson's atmospheric 19th Century tale of Camelot.

It's always interesting to see the breadth of interpretation that ensues when four illustrators take one theme. This poem has many aspects to explore including unrequited love, exclusion from life's realities, the sacrifices of artists, poets, scientists and scholars and death.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson(1809-92) was thought to have taken his inspiration from an early renaissance Italian story of 1832; in this was a suicide letter. He created his version called The Lady of Shalott, bringing it into the 20th Century. With this show we intend to bring this version into the 21st Century with contemporary illustrations.

Emmeline Webb - BA (Hons) Illustration

"My love of colour, pattern and texture are always evident in my work. I enjoy working with a combination of media, materials and textiles. My extensive range of papers and textiles are always to hand, providing me with ideas and inspiration for my images. I do not; therefore have any set method of working as I find it is the exploration of materials that ultimately give my images their life. I embellish my materials with a free and linear style of drawing, usually with a decorative and ornate feel.

Tennyson's 'The Lady of Shalott' is just brimming with visual clues. This provides us Illustrators with a wealth of imagery. It is also the perfect opportunity to see such a traditional text, given a contemporary twist."

Corrina Dunlea BA (Hons) Illustration

"I love words which for me is essential to being a fulfilled Illustrator. Poetry from John Keats was my earliest inspiration followed by Yeats, Roald Dahl and Shel Silverstein to more contemporary poets like Carol Ann Duffy and Leonard Cohen.
I have always sketched, doodled and drawn people around me and it was through this and love of words that I followed a path to Illustration. Incredible artists like Michelangelo, Samuel Palmer, Toulouse-Lautrec, Klimt and closer to home Kurt Jackson are a few examples of my favourite artists.
I am always interested in the line whether it is through typography or drawing, for me they are so intertwined that inevitably my images combine both these aspects.
My images can be very different depending upon the brief, for The Lady of Shalott, like most stories, contains a sub text that gives me the opportunity to start with the drawing and layer other “pages “ within it. My hope is to compliment the text rather than over power it so the story conveys emotion and is memorable."

Riina Driscoll BA (Hons) Illustration

"I am a School Caterer and a mother by day and in the silence and solitude of the dark of night I draw, paint and illustrate. Of late I have been trying my hand at reduction cut lino printing. I enjoy the prolonged pleasure of the slow process of cutting away at the lino, and the gradual build up of colours as I print each layer of colour on top of the previous one. This method is very labour intensive, requires forward thinking and careful planning and often leads to frustration and hair pulling for me. At times, however, something is revealed that delights my heart. These pleasant surprises are why I persevere!

The Lady of Shalott was all about persevering with her art, sitting on her own, hidden away in her tower, weaving away steadily. She was content: "No other care hath she" the poem confirms. Until that is, she was lured to the window of her doom by the coal-black curls, helmet and the plume of a man singing "Tirra lirra". There is no accounting for taste."

Amy Rupall BA (Hons) Illustration

"After drawing for many years I went back to University to study Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art and graduated in November 2008.
I love creating narratives within my images and this has become an important part of my work as I want the viewer to engage with my drawings/paintings. Also space within my images is of key importance to how I work.
Recently I have used mixed media, such as ink, charcoal, textured paint, masking tape on canvas with pastels but only using a limited palette. I have found this fun to do.

In the poem 'The Lady of Shalott' there are many visual inspirations to produce a number of sequential images. I found by experimenting with different media it allows me to produce new fresh work for each project."