Lindisfarne Gospels at the Laing - Map 2
I remember learning about the Lindisfarne Gospels when I was at school, and I’ve been fascinated and inspired by them ever since. As you can imagine I was delighted to be asked to make two illustrated maps for the Lindisfarne Gospels 2022 exhibition at the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle.
Project Background - Map 2
The second map was purely for the school children who visited the Lindisfarne Gospels 2022 exhibition. They were given the map when they arrived in the city, and asked to find their own way, some to the Laing Gallery and others to the Great North Museum. This map needed to be fairly accurate and to show various points of interest, including the infamous “Vampire Rabbit” down by the cathedral.
Some details
I used the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Council coat of arms for inspiration with the title.
I love how animals appear in the gospels pages, so I went to town with some of my favourite creatures, and some which are easily spotted in the city (not the snakes!).
More creatures. The sea horses are from the roof of the Civic Centre, one of the buildings which the children needed to identify on their travels.
Their final destination would be the Laing Gallery itself, with the city Library opposite.
This ended up as one of my favourite projects. I loved revisiting the Lindisfarne Gospels, and then weaving some of the patterns and motifs into my illustration, all with my own spin of course!