Key

J: = Interviewer, Julia
RW: = Interviewee, Ray Wagner
[time e.g. 5:22] = inaudible word at this time
[5:22 IA] = inaudible section at this time
[word] = best guess at word
… = interruption in sentence, trailing off or short pause

J:Could you start by telling me about your link with Acorn Bank?

RW:Yes, certainly. We’ve lived in Langwathby since retirement, for the last 25 years or so. We’ve been National Trust members 40-odd years, I think. So we’ve often visited Acorn Bank, lovely place, and like many other people we particularly like to see the fantastic display of snowdrops below the house and along the river, along Crowdundle Beck, at the beginning of the year. Then we like to go back again when all the daffodils are out, again that’s pretty spectacular. But we do go at other times and nowadays, since they’ve developed the orchards, there’s a lovely show of apple blossom now, a bit later in the year, early summer. I think it was June this year I went with some members of the family and we were very impressed by the banks of the wild garlic, which again are quite spectacular, along the riverside there. We also like to go to the herb garden because I think that’s such an amazing collection and it’s interesting to look at the different plants and what they do medicinally or in culinary use.
Then, of course, there’s the autumn colours and, going on to art, I’ve always been interested in art and I’m on the lookout for subjects to paint when we’re going round, particularly in this area. I didn’t find a lot of time for painting when I was at work because it was so full on but we retired here, I think I said, 25 years ago and thought what shall we do? It didn’t take long, actually, to get involved in all sorts of things but I thought that this is the opportunity really to do a bit more art. So I actually joined an art class that met in one of the rooms at Acorn Bank and it was led by a local artist called Peter Little who’s quite a character and a well-known local artist. Part of the time we did actually go out into the grounds and do sketching.
More recently I started to work in pastels and visiting Acorn Bank one autumn, I think it was about six years ago, I was particularly taken by the walk alongside Crowdundle Beck and the colours and the general atmosphere. So in this painting I tried to capture the special atmosphere of the place. So it’s not a photographic representation, if you like, but I used the photographs really to remember where trees were and things like that. But it’s really an atmospheric painting. I suppose the atmosphere there comes really from the mix of the woodland and the water, not just the beck but also the various pools and so on. And really the long history, you feel there’s a long history to the area which, of course, is shown in the mere and the mill race. So I’m hoping that that painting really does capture some of the atmosphere round Crowdundle Beck.

J:It’s a very beautiful painting.

RW:Oh, thank you.

J: Can you describe to me the sort of flora and fauna that you’ve got in that?

RW:I mean, it’s trees, water, shrubs and obviously the colour of the leaves, really. But it’s also the quality of the light, I think. Trying to… as I said, it’s not a photographic representation but I’m trying to capture… there is a bit of mystery about the area, I think, so I was trying to capture that in the painting.

J:And you say you’ve been visiting for about 25 years, have you noticed any change from what’s growing there, the wildlife, anything like that over time?

RW:Yes, I think it has changed quite a bit. Along the bank obviously trees die and they’ve fallen down and been left which I think wasn’t the case when we first visited. Acorn Bank itself has been… I mentioned the orchards, I think that’s really just over comparatively recent years that’s been part of the development. We have been round the house, it isn’t the main attraction, is it, the contents of the house because it’s empty but it was still nice to go round and think about… was it Dorothy Ratcliffe, was the name of the lady that used to live there and write books?

J:That’s it, yes. And how do you think your art has connected you more to the natural environment and the beck?

RW:I suppose you tend to look closely at things if you’re thinking, well, you might be doing a painting. But, yeah, it’s difficult to say, really. I do paint quite a lot of scenes in the Lake District and often it tends to be water and trees and mountains, whatever.

J:What do you particularly like about water being the subject?

RW:I suppose again it’s the light, isn’t it, reflections. Fairly recently I painted a picture based on the autumn colours on Buttermere, you know, where they get absolutely fantastic colours, this was last autumn, and the reflections enhance that.

J:And your painting is the autumn, was there any particular reason you chose autumn or was it just happened to be…

RW:I think it’s partly the colour, there’s obviously more, rather than just green . You’ve got colours which is good. But autumn is a very special time, I think.

J:You said you were trying to capture the atmosphere, could you describe that atmosphere to me? How do you feel when you go down there?

RW:I think it’s a bit mysterious . So, yeah, trying to capture that really.

J:Yeah. It’s got a lot of history to it.

RW:Well there is, yes.

J:Is there anything else you’d like to tell me about your visits or your link with the river or Acorn Bank? Anything you’d…?

RW:No, I think that’s it really.

J:Thank you very much.

RW:You’re very welcome.