When well-known Norfolk artist Brian Lewis came up with the idea of producing a series of paintings of Norwich Cathedral, he decided to employ the latest technology to show the iconic building from a completely new perspective.
Mr Lewis, 72, who works from his home studio at Sheringham, asked photographer and film maker Chris Taylor to capture drone images of the cathedral, showing the city stretching out behind it.
'I've painted the cathedral before, but I wanted to do something entirely different,' Mr Lewis explained. 'It is such a wonderful building surrounded by so many other interesting buildings and I thought it would be nice to show an overview of that part of Norwich, which I think is beautiful.'
Taking around a month each to complete, the first couple of painstakingly detailed cathedral paintings will be ready in time for an open studio exhibition in May, with the rest in the series finished over the next couple of years.
Mr Lewis, who completed a foundation course at Epsom School of Art at the age of 16 before spending three years training at Guildford Art School and a further three years studying at the Royal Academy, London, moved to Hindringham in 1981 before settling in Sheringham 23 years ago.
His work – depicting East Anglian scenes ranging from boats at Brancaster to a classic car rally at Blickling Hall - has since become highly sought after, with originals fetching up to £10,000.
Previous subjects have included Keble College, Oxford – painted for a the family of a well-known former government minister; the £4.5 million extension to Wells-next-the-Sea's historic Maltings building – where the artist worked as assistant stage manager nearly 40 years ago, and a series featuring Georgian houses in the leafy Buttlands area of the town.
However, Mr Lewis is probably best known for his quirky, humorous paintings of the seals at Blakeney Point, prints of which sell in their thousands to art-lovers from all over the world.
'I do occasionally look back on my work and I do like a painting I did of Ely Cathedral and probably the seals, but my favourite is always the next one,' he said.
Paintings of Norwich Cathedral will be on show at an exhibition by Brian Lewis running at Bees Hall, The Avenue, Sheringham from May 4-12. Opening times are 10.30am-5.30pm daily. For more information, visit www.art-e-mail.com
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