Meet the man behind the Papestry
Photo by Steven Haddock
Architectural illustrator Matt Wright on the perils of tea stains, the fun challenge of drawing Lincoln Cathedral and why his upcoming exhibition at The Usher Gallery is a full circle moment for him.
For the past nine months, thousands of people around the world have watched in awe as Matt creates Lincoln’s own Bayeux Tapestry – a continuous pen drawing of one of the city’s most picturesque and historically significant areas.
Armed with just a trusty set of pens and a 25-foot roll of paper, Matt’s labour of love has seen him capture Lincoln’s Bailgate and Steep Hill in intricate detail.
Ahead of the Papestry going on display from 20 June at another of Lincoln’s iconic landmarks – The Usher Gallery – County News caught up with Matt in his studio to find out more about his journey, his passion for the city’s history and some of the challenges of creating a six-metre-long drawing of one of the county’s most-loved streets.
Photo by Steven Haddock
Although he loved drawing as a child, it was only in his late twenties, after focusing on music, that he picked up a pen and paper again.
“I'd been reading a lot of medieval history and I loved the woodcut prints. I tried to recreate that style with pen and paper. Looking back, I was terrible”, he laughs. “But I really enjoyed the process, I enjoyed the relaxation; it was a good antidote to the chaotic band life I had at the time, where you’d be on the road for months.”
He looks around his studio - a garden den packed full of prints, guitars and books on the paranormal (another of his interests). “Even to this day if I'm feeling a little overwhelmed, I can just lock myself in here and I'll draw and my mind is completely engaged, everything else disappears for a bit.”
Commissions soon followed when he started posting his work on Instagram, and he re-located to Lincoln with this wife and young son.
His first prints were inspired by his re-discovery of the city. Haunted Lincoln saw him draw dozens of its beautiful buildings for the first time, but with a supernatural twist: each doorway and window included its own ghost. “I’m a big horror fan and Lincoln’s got a really rich history of ghost stories”, he explains. Does he believe in ghosts? “I don't, but I love the lore and fun of it all.”
His next project was inspired by a love of the local pub and its important role at the heart of the culture. “You can actually do it as a pub crawl”, he says, pointing at a framed copy of his Great Lincoln Pub Crawl print - a tribute to the city’s independent watering holes.
“You’d start at the bottom, that’s the West End, then you’d head into town, come all the way up [the hill]. That's the castle at the top, with The Victoria next to it.” Given the drawing contains 31 pubs, would you be a little worse for wear on reaching the summit? “Yes, definitely!”, he laughs.
With the last orders bell ringing, The Great Lincoln Pub Crawl had given Matt the thirst for his most ambitious project yet. But what motivated him to spend the best part of a year creating the Papestry?
Photo by Steven Haddock
“I love getting stuck into a big project and had the urge to do a continuous drawing of a Lincoln street”, he explains. “When I was a kid, I was fascinated by the Bayeux Tapestry and the way it depicted the Norman invasion, and obviously Lincoln has a lot of Norman connections with its castle and cathedral.”
In the studio an idea was brewing. Then came the news that, after more than 900 years, the Bayeux Tapestry would be returning to the UK for a landmark exhibition at the British Museum. That decided it and Matt set about putting pen to paper to create his own tribute. “Obviously, it's nowhere near as big, it’s not embroidered and it’s not 1,000 years old, but still”, he laughs modestly.
It is an incredible feat. The Papestry captures every brick and tile of 25 buildings on the Bailgate and Steep Hill in meticulous detail, condensing 247 real world meters onto 6 metres of parchment.
What was the most challenging section to draw? The answer may surprise you. “I always enjoy having a crack at the cathedral”, he grins. “It's the second time I've drawn it and it's a fun challenge. The trickiest part was actually the White Hart Hotel.” Matt’s process for drawing a building involves taking photographs from different angles to use as reference points, which posed a problem at the hotel. “I couldn’t stand back far enough to see the roof”, he explains. “There are so many windows and balconies – lots of measurements, and it’s where Steep Hill starts too, that was definitely the most challenging bit.”
This isn’t to suggest the project was a slog, however. On the contrary, seeing the Papestry come together, brick by brick and line by line, has been an incredibly satisfying process for Matt.
For someone with a keen interest in history, one of the project’s great joys has been exploring the fascinating buildings and meeting their current occupants. “There are so many amazing nuggets of history behind the walls of these buildings”, he says. “The plans for the first tank were drawn up at the White Hart Hotel, it’s an area with an incredible history.”
We turn our attention back to the drawing. It looks immaculate. Are there any mistakes, I wonder? “Of course,” he says, telling me the odd tea stain has been sanded out, as well as the occasional wayward bug. He’s under strict instruction not to point out any more. “My wife keeps telling me, ‘when you're at the exhibition, don't point out the bad bits to people’”, he laughs. Pausing a moment, he adds: “To work on something continuously for nine months without making a single error, I don't think that's human. I'm not coming into this as an architect, I'm not a Renaissance master. I'm a middle-aged guy sitting in his shed doodling buildings. I'm learning as I go.”
With his pens stowed away and the drawing about to emerge from the studio for the first time, how does he feel at the prospect of people seeing the Papestry at The Usher Gallery? “It’s amazing”, he beams. “The Usher has got such a rich history, there are so many amazing art works in there.”
It’s also a full circle moment. “I grew up on a council estate in Lincoln, my friends and I used to go to Temple Gardens, have a few drinks and roll down the hill next to The Usher”, he laughs. “If you’d told me then that years later I would have my own solo exhibition in the gallery, I’d never have believed you.”
Achieving this as a self-taught artist is also a source of immense pride for Matt. “I’m not trained in art; I didn’t go to university to study it. I never thought drawing would be a career.”, he says. “I just love doing it and hopefully this goes to show that if you love something, and you practise and practise, you will naturally find some improvement and find your style. I hope that can inspire other people like me too.”
Photo by Steven Haddock
What’s next for Matt? Surely after nine months he’s earned a well-deserved break? “Well, there’s the other side of the street to draw…”
Matt D. Wright: The Papestry opens at The Usher Gallery on Saturday 20 June and continues until Sunday 12 July. Entry is free.
Follow Matt on Facebook and Instagram. You can also support him by purchasing prints from his online store.
To stay up to date with the latest exhibitions and activities at the Usher Gallery, follow ‘Lincoln Museum and Usher Gallery’ on Facebook and Instagram.