THE changing face of Shotover through the seasons has been captured in a new exhibition.

Oxford artist Emily Ault spent a year painting the ancient woodlands east of the city, once frequented by highwayman Dick Turpin and formerly a Royal Forest.

She created the works on-location and now her pieces are being exhibited at Art Jericho, in King Street, until November 16.

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Miss Ault said: “I wanted to represent the emotional pull of a place in time.

“Painting from nature is as relevant now as ever and I paint in situ.

“When you immerse yourself in the sights, sounds and smells of a place, you appreciate the slow passing of time and the subtle shifts in light and atmosphere.

“It results in work that is honest and less subject to idealised interpretation.”

Oxford Mail:

Above, Bluebells, one of Emily Ault’s series of seasons portraits of Shotover.

The popular beauty spot was a Royal Forest from the time of the Domesday Book – completed in 1086 – until 1660.

The old Oxford to London road used to run over Shotover Hill to Wheatley and by the 17th century it was being regularly used by horse-drawn coaches.

But as passengers had to get down so the horses could make the steep climb up the hill from Oxford, it became a favourite spot for highwaymen to ambush travellers.

By 1789, the route had been abandoned in favour of a new route through Headington following what is now the A40.

Oxford Mail:

Moon Daisies.

Shotover is managed by Oxford City Council as a 289-acre country park and hosts a diverse range of wildlife habitats.

Miss Ault said a theme of her work was to emphasise its value in the modern day.

She said: “The natural world continues to live and breathe, despite our ever-encroaching presence. And as nature jostles for space against urban development, industry and roads, wild places are becoming precious.”

Oxford Mail:

The View.

Miss Ault has a mastersdegree from the Cambridge School of Art and has been exhibiting her work as a solo artist since 2009. Her first show was in London’s Highgate Gallery.

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