Chalk and Cheese – BOUNDRY

Boundry, Mixed media on wood panel. 28 x 46 cm

Artist: Claire Newman-Williams

Although the origin of the phrase “like chalk and cheese” is uncertain, in Wiltshire, it has been used for years to refer to the county’s contrasting landscape and the historical social differences between the chalky downs of the south and the clay-based vales of the north. The “chalk” represents the high, rolling chalk downlands used for sheep farming, while “cheese” refers to the flatter, clay-rich lands in the north, historically better for dairy and cattle. 

But common to both areas are the Ancient field patterns, some dating back to the Bronze Age, which demonstrate the long history of farming, which has shaped the landscape over millennia. 

This series of paintings draws upon the geometry of these ancient field systems — patterns first inscribed on the land through early agriculture. Their enduring lines, visible in aerial views and archaeological maps, suggest both order and erosion, permanence and change.

These structures  – intersecting planes, softened boundaries, and layered surfaces – all reference the passage of time.  The neutral palette that’s been chosen reflects the muted tones of chalk, soil, and weathered stone — colours that belong to the land itself. 

Through abstraction, it’s not the literal fields being invoked, but the sense of time, continuity, and stillness embedded in them.