ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR & ENGRAVER
About The Illustrator & Engraver – Harry Brockway
My book is illustrated by eight beautiful wood engravings, lovingly created by the incredibly talented artist Harry Brockway, who was well known as one of the best wood engravers in the industry. The engravings are illustrations of eight of the poems in the book, and I gave Harry carte blanche to choose which poems he wanted to create engravings for.
Harry was a wood engraver, book illustrator, stone carver, letter cutter and designer. Born in 1958, he studied sculpture at Kingston Polytechnic (now Kingston University London) and The Royal Academy Schools in London, and then trained as a stone mason at Weymouth College in Dorset and was a stone carver for twenty years.
Harry was a member of The Society of Wood Engravers and The Royal Society of Painter Printmakers. Much of his inspiration came from literature, and highlights of his careers included illustrating books for The Folio Society, as well as carving stone work for The National Trust and producing coin designs for The Royal Mint. He also worked with private clients on big and small projects.
He lived in Glastonbury, in the county of Somerset, which is in the rural South West of England. Not only is Glastonbury famous for the annual Glastonbury Festival, which has been held nearby in the village of Pilton since 1970, but it is also connected to many myths and legends, and is a centre of much spiritual, religious and romantic interest. It has been said to be the site of the mythological Island of Avalon, the final resting place of the legendary King Arthur, the place where Joseph of Arimathea planted his staff in the ground and it grew into a thorn tree, and the location of the mythical Holy Grail. There was, therefore, plenty of inspiration for Harry in his hometown!
Harry was a wood engraver, book illustrator, stone carver, letter cutter and designer. Born in 1958, he studied sculpture at Kingston Polytechnic (now Kingston University London) and The Royal Academy Schools in London, and then trained as a stone mason at Weymouth College in Dorset and was a stone carver for twenty years.
Harry was a member of The Society of Wood Engravers and The Royal Society of Painter Printmakers. Much of his inspiration came from literature, and highlights of his careers included illustrating books for The Folio Society, as well as carving stone work for The National Trust and producing coin designs for The Royal Mint. He also worked with private clients on big and small projects.
He lived in Glastonbury, in the county of Somerset, which is in the rural South West of England. Not only is Glastonbury famous for the annual Glastonbury Festival, which has been held nearby in the village of Pilton since 1970, but it is also connected to many myths and legends, and is a centre of much spiritual, religious and romantic interest. It has been said to be the site of the mythological Island of Avalon, the final resting place of the legendary King Arthur, the place where Joseph of Arimathea planted his staff in the ground and it grew into a thorn tree, and the location of the mythical Holy Grail. There was, therefore, plenty of inspiration for Harry in his hometown!
Harry had completed six of the engravings for this book when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
He was able to complete the last two illustrations, going above and beyond to do so, but they were the final pieces that he ever created, as he sadly passed away in early January 2024, at the relatively young age of 65.
WOOD ENGRAVER, STONE CARVER AND LETTER CUTTER
A Tribute to Harry’s Amazing Work
You You can still view some of Harry’s wood engravings, wood engravings for books, sculptures, architectural stone carvings, memorials and other artworks on his website, which has been kept live as it was by his wife as a tribute to his work.
Visit Website
