From frozen January to the long hot days of harvest, from the bursting sweetbriar leaves of March to Christmas plum cake and elderberry wine – John Clare's 19 the century poems known as the ‘Shepherd's Calendar’ reveal an eye that observed life with unparalleled intimacy. Contemporary artist and printmaker Carry Akroyd is also known for her painstaking attention to detail, which is partly why she was asked to produce linocuts to complement a new edition of the poems. Caz Graham went to Northamptonshire to meet Carry and to find out why she’s long felt a special affinity with Clare.
The Shepherd’s Calendar is published by Carcanet and you can see Carry’s linocuts at the Slimbrigde Wetlands Centre from 14th October till Christmas.
