Animal with Moon

Animal with Moon, May 1987 bronze and steel by Lorna Graves (1947-2006).

Bronze animal with gold coloured steel half crescent moon attached to head. The animal form appears in much of Graves’ work. It was inspired by her childhood contact with animals on the farm and also a dream in later life which featured a primitive-looking vulnerable animal in a city.

Lorna Graves, a Cumbrian-born artist, sadly died in 2006 at the height of her creativity having gained recognition nationally. Fortunately, Graves left Tullie House an important collection of her work which was the focus of a major exhibition in 2008-9. Graves exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Britain and abroad and her work is represented in numerous public and private collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Graves’ diverse artistic output includes painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture. Graves’ aim as an artist was to produce work of great simplicity. Her work expresses her deep interest in the spiritual, the natural world, her native landscape and ancient civilisations. Graves empathised with the ancient and natural landscape, especially of her native Cumbria. She grew up on various farms in North Cumbria where she worked with animals and helped with the harvest. She became aware of the natural rhythms of life from an early age. She was also aware of the elements around her: the stars, constellations, sun and moon. Her later studies in geology, geography and ancient civilisations enabled her to ‘read’ the landscape. As a student she drew fossils, rock formations, crystal structures and landforms. Graves found the timeless qualities of ancient stones, particularly Long Meg and Her Daughters a Bronze Age Stone Circle, at Little Salkeld near Penrith, very powerful. The Eden Valley, Pennines and Lakeland hills also provided an important ‘sense of place’.

Graves loved literature and poetry. She wrote poetry and developed ideas in notebooks. Her friendship with the poet Kathleen Raine confirmed her standing as an artist, who wrote: “I see in your work a kind of grave simplicity, something tender and enduring. So little work comes from the true centre and source but I can see that you are a serious artist.”