Neil Bousfield – The Pity of War (Strange Meeting)

“When the centenary of the First World War was approaching, I knew I wanted to make something that marked the event which we should never forget. I was pleased to be commissioned by the Folio Society to make a body of work to accompany a new publication of Wilfred Owen’s poetry to be published to mark the centenary of Owen’s death and Armistice Day. Owen was killed by machine gun fire while leading his men across the Sambre-Oise canal on 4th November 1918, one week before the signing of the Armistice on the 11th November 1918.

I hope the work I have made in some way helps to mark the event, the war, Wilfred Owen and the tragic loss of life” – Neil Bousfield 2018.

Engravings from the series are available individually, or as a portfolio set of seven engravings.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Neil Bousfield is a British artist working in relief printmaking and contemporary wood engraving. His recent work explores the landscape narrative of the North Norfolk coast and the changing geography of time and place. He sketches on location, walks, researches and imagines to make his layered prints. The balance of gentle hues and the play of line and texture give Bousfield’s work a timeless quality.

To mark the centenary of the death of the poet Wilfred Owen on 4th November 1918, and the centenary of the end of WW1, Armistice Day 11th November 1918, Bousfield was commissioned by the Folio Society to make a series of engravings to commemorate Owen’s life and work.

Bousfield’s work is held in numerous collections including – The National Art Library; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Ashmolean Museum, Oxford; Pallant House Gallery; Chichester University; Ohio State University Libraries, USA.

Neil Bousfield was born in Middlesbrough, UK. He studied at the University of the West of England (UWE) where he gained a Master of Arts degree in Multi-Disciplinary Printmaking, awarded with distinction in 2007. In 2009 Neil was elected a member of The Society of Wood Engravers and in 2014 to the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers.