Best known for her illustrated guidebooks to historic places, architecture and the countryside, artist and printmaker Rena Gardiner (1929-1999) is currently being celebrated at a new exhibition at Salisbury Museum.
An unsung heroine of printmaking who lived alone in Dorset, Rena Gardiner wrote, illustrated and printed 45 guidebooks herself – no two copies are the same – which include several about Salisbury Cathedral. She also produced paintings, pastels and linocut prints.
Rena Gardiner is most admired for her diverse use of colour and texture. Uninterested in publicity, she developed a unique style that combined British topography artistry and the autolithography of the 1940s and 1950s.
The Rena Gardiner exhibition runs until 13 May, admission costs £8 per adult and £8 per child, www.salisburymuseum.org.uk, tel: 01772 332 615.