The Deanery, Winchester 1902

David Young Cameron made this etching of The Deanery in Winchester. I think of him carefully wiping the plate, grounding it, before drawing into it, line by line, his image emerging through the process. Look at the front of the building and the dark shaded tendrils creeping up the side, obscuring parts of the facade. I see a kind of struggle here – to see, to reveal, to cover up, or to leave open. It's not just about the appearance of the building, but the feeling of it too, maybe even the memory of being there. Artists build on the work of those who came before, echoing and responding to their mark-making, adding their own slant. Art is always in conversation with itself, like the best kind of gossip.