Quentin Blake

Sir Quentin Blake (b. 1932) is an internationally celebrated artist and illustrator, and Hastings Contemporary’s Artist Patron. This display is the latest in an ongoing series of artworks that Blake has created for the gallery, all featuring enchanting creations and characters in his distinctive style. For Feet in Water, Blake has taken inspiration from his love of paddling. He explained:

‘My interest in this came originally from doing it myself, whether in Hastings or on the Atlantic Coast of France. But I also like drawing those surroundings and the reflections in the water…I think we all want to have the pleasure of seeing the reflections in the water, and share in the experience.’ Sir Quentin Blake

Blake has collaborated with writers including Will Self, Michael Rosen, David Walliams, Joan Aiken and Roald Dahl, and has written and illustrated many of his own books. He was the first Children’s Laureate and has won lots of prizes and awards, including the Whitbread Award, the Kate Greenaway Medal and the Hans Christian Andersen Award. In 2007 Blake was made an Officer of the Légion d’Honneur, the highest French order of merit, and he received a knighthood in 2013. Blake lives and works in London and Hastings.

‘Blake is beyond brilliant. He is anarchic, moral, infinitely subversive, sometimes vicious…lavish in the details when he feels like it. He can tell wonderful stories without a single word…I’ve never met a child who didn’t love Quentin Blake.’ Melanie McDonagh, Daily Telegraph

#BlakeinWater

All image: Quentin Blake, Feet in Water, 2019, pen ink and watercolour on paper ©The Artist.