War artist Edward Bawden inspires new project by Bishop’s Stortford textile artist Gunta Andrews
Bishop’s Stortford artist Gunta Andrews is stitching history and memories into a live textile project inspired by painter, illustrator and graphic artist Edward Bawden.
She is the new artist in residence at the Gibberd Gallery in Harlow, and until June 7 she will work on a new piece as part of the exhibition, Drawing on Memories.
Fashion student Gunta, who is undertaking an internship through Anglia Ruskin University, is developing a new embroidered and painted artwork.
The piece maps the journeys of Edward Bawden, one of Britain’s most renowned official Second World War artists, whose postings took him across Belgium, France, the Middle East and beyond.
Inspired by the book War Artist and his Letters Home 1940-45, a collection of Bawden’s writings edited by Ruari McLean, Gunta is blending historical record with personal interpretation.
Her work allows visitors to engage not just with international history, but with their own family stories of the Second World War.
She said: “It’s been lovely listening to the stories and memories visitors have been sharing with me and I’ve enjoyed researching Edward Bawden’s history for this project.
“I just hope I can produce a good piece of textile art. I’ve never worked on something so big before, and working in public is a bit daunting, but it’s a hugely enjoyable experience.”
Her nifty artwork has already won her third prize in the Harlow Open 2024 and a Judges’ Choice Award for 2025.
Bawden, who has a long association with Essex, was a friend of fellow war artist, Eric Ravilious, best known for his prints, book covers, posters and garden metalwork furniture.
The pair were key members of a community of artists in Great Bardfield from the 1930s to the 1970s.
Bawden and Ravilious and their artist wives, Charlotte Epton and Tirzah Garwood, even lived together for a time at Brick House. The Fry Art Gallery in Saffron Walden focuses on the community’s work.
The Drawing on Memories exhibition marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. It reflects on the lives of 11 official wartime artists from the Sir Frederick Gibberd Permanent Watercolour Collection and the Harlow Art Trust collection.
The artists also include Perry Green’s master sculptor Henry Moore, figurative painter Laura Knight and John Piper, famed for his wartime depictions of bomb-damaged churches and landmarks, most notably Coventry Cathedral.
The Harlow Art Trust project has been developed in collaboration with Harlow Museum, whose team has curated displays of local wartime artefacts and newspaper cuttings from its collection.
The show at the Gibberd Gallery runs to Saturday June 7, with free admission Mondays to Saturdays, 11am to 4pm (closed Sundays and bank holidays).
Visitors are welcome to watch Gunta at work, discuss her creative process and contribute their stories. To confirm her availability, email gallery@harlowarttrust.org.uk.
