THE ARTISTS

About Anna Dillon

Anna Dillon is a landscape artist who lives in Aston Tirrold. She’s been a professional artist for over 16 years and is well known for her bold and vibrant oil paintings. She opens her studio once a year as part of Oxfordshire Artweeks and she has recently collaborated with drone pilot Hedley Thorne on her Airscapes Series where they explore aerial, chalk landscapes around Berkshire, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire. She has lived in the Astons for a large part of her life and is an avid walker with a great interest in observing and learning about nature. www.annadillon.com

About Rebecca Carrozza

As well as being an artist, Becky has also worked as a graphic designer at Oxford University Press for the last 20 years. She has created work on commission since her school days working on a wide range of subject matter including animals, buildings, boats and babies painting in oil, acrylic, watercolour and mixed media. More recently Becky has enjoyed drawing and painting from life taking inspiration from being out in the countryside and also drawing and painting scenes from daily life and the local area. www.rebecca-carrozza.co.uk

THE ARTWORK

This is the first time Becky and Anna have worked on a public artwork which will comprise of 10 large panels that will hang together as a continuous landscape mural which will be on permanent display at Cholsey Pavilion.

In 2024, both artists walked the ‘Springline route’ through the seasons, sketching and painting outside, taking photos and making observations. Since then, they have used a large wall in Anna’s studio to layout their photos, post it notes and sketches which has enabled them to identify the important features of the mural such as nature sightings, chalk streams and winter-brooks, interesting buildings with historical context and seasonal changes.

One of the first challenges was to plan how they could work together on the same piece of artwork. They have different styles, which complement each other, and it was important to establish and agree a creative process from the beginning, along with a timetable. They have researched other artists works as sources of inspiration and have used their sketchpads as reference which they will share with the public at the various Springline Events throughout the year.

One of the special elements of this project will be the relationship between the scientific and creative minds. Both artists will be working with the scientists as they gather data in the landscapes and during the Springline events. The mural will incorporate the data and findings in a visual medium which will act as a 2025 ‘baseline’ for the communities of the Astons and Cholsey to use as part of the learning and engagement segment of this project.

If people would like to see the creative progress from the artists, they have set up an Instagram page here:

https://www.instagram.com/thespringlineproject/

The Springline Project is made possible with support from the Mend the Gap programme*.