Maiwand Lion – Forbury Gardens Reading – Sculpture by George Blackall Simonds – Art by Berkshire Artist Therese Lawlor
Art, Painting Commissions and Prints from Berkshire Artists
Artist: Thérèse Lawlor
Artist: Thérèse Lawlor
The Maiwand Lion, Reading
The iconic Maiwand Lion stands proudly in the Forbury Gardens and is one of Reading’smost loved monuments – even appearing on the shield of Reading football club. It was sculpted by George Blackall Simonds and erected in 1886.
The 31-foot lion commemorates the Berkshire men who fought in the Battle of Maiwand in the Second Afghan War, a battle described as one of the bloodiest battles in history.
Forbury Gardens sit on what was land shared by church and townsfolk, which was given to the public when the Abbey was dissolved in 1539 for recreation and grazing. By the 1840s it was virtually unusable, due to the disposal of rubbish and dead animals, but thankfully for us, the Borough Council bought it in 1854 and within 10 years the beautiful gardens we see today were established. The lion is glimpsed here from an unusual angle through the Forbury railings.
Image Size: A2, unframed
Art Medium: Watercolour
Painting Price: £150
Commissions Invited
Contact The Artist
Thérèse Lawlor
Mixed Media Art
'Concertina' Sketchbooks
Greetings Cards
Please mention the Berkshire Artists website
Email: Therese@tight-five.com
Facebook Page - Therese's Paintings
Gallery Of Art
About The Artist
Thérèse has lived in Reading for over 30 years and uses the town and her allotment as two of the inspirations for her work.
She develops paintings from sketches she makes on location and some of the scenes captured become greeting cards, with the history of the place on the back. Some of her work has represented Reading with its twin town of Dusseldorf and she has been commissioned to depict many local buildings for promotions or as presents. She is very happy to discuss commissions.
Video
Enjoy this video of Thérèse Lawlor in her studio letting us know about her cards available at Reading Museum and showing us examples of her wonderful concertina books. You can use the controls on the video to enlarge it to full screen size.
Greetings Cards
'My cards carry the history of the image on the front in the case of local places, or recipes on the back of my food pictures, or gardening advice on my allotment cards.'
Art Group / Exhibitions
Thérèse is a member of the Reading Guild of Artists, Woodley and Earley Arts Group, Reading Urban Sketchers and Mixed Media Monday Group. She exhibits at Whiteknights Studio Trail, The Henley Arts Trail and at many local arts events in Berkshire.
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