“Fntastcl crīčrz n miʈicl landsceps awet y in ɖ majcl wrld v ātist n raitr Patric Wdruf (1940–2014).
A fmiłr figr arnd Falṃʈ, Patric wz inṭnašnli nôn fr hiz unrîvld jīňs az a draftsmn. Hiz wrc ḅloñz t a tṛdišn bgun bî Hı̣ronims Boš (1450–1516) n cntinyd in ɖ 20ʈ senčri bî ɖ sriylists.
H wz a disiplind wrcr, hiz brušz n penz wr lêd ât nītli lîc impḷmnts at a srjn’z tebl.
Ɖs šo wl šôces a ṣlẋn v hiz pêntñz, drōñz n toṃgrafs.
A ṣlẋn v mântd žiclé prints wl b aveḷbl fr seil in ɖ gaḷrīšop.”
OBIČRI
“Patric Wdruf wz a pṛlific ātist huz fntastcl iḷstrešnz adwnd pêntñz, inymṛbl saynsfiẋn bcs, rec̣dslīvz n pôstrz. H lîcnd hiz wrc t ɖ cātogṛfi v a nẇr-land, a picčrmap v a wrld inclozd wɖn ɖ wōlz v hiz scul, a wrld cnfînd t tîni ilctric paʈwez btwn biłnz v mînyt brênsélz.
Wdruf wz born in Halifax in 1940, ɖ secnd son v Biytris n Daňl Wdruf, an ilctricl enjinir. Ɖ famli muvd svṛl tîmz jrñ hiz čîldhd, ivnčli setlñ at Colbrŭcdel, Šropšr. H studid Frenč n Jrmn at Līdz Ynivrṣti.
H marid hiz čîldhd swīthāt, Jīn Pādo, in 1964. Ɖe travld t Cwnẉl on hunīmūn, steyñ on Ɖ Liẓd. Hiz dwtr, Rôzi Wdruf, tld Ɖ Indipendnt, Ɖe luvd ɖ eria so mč ɖe dsîdd nt t līv n wɖn ʈri wīcs v marij hd fând jobz (h az a tīčr v Frenč n Jrmn, š az an optišn) n a flat in Falṃʈ… So, isnšli in ɖs, ɖer 50ʈ yir v marij, ɖe wr stl on hunīmūn. Hiz ātistc inflụnsz cem, h sd, fṛm …ɖ wrc v Salvador Dali, ɖ Viynīz scūl v ‘fntastc riylizm’, n abv ol ɖ wrc v Duč n Flemiš so-cwld ‘primitvz’ v ɖ Midl Êjz n Rnesns. An ŕli pêntñ, Brʈ v Animetd Nêčr (1965), šoz clirli ɖz inspirešns fṛm Brýgl n ispešli fṛm Boš’z Ɖ Gādn v Ŕʈli Dlîts.
Hvñ iniṣ̌li imitetd ɖ sriylist mastr in hiz drōñz, h sn arîvd at a stîl v hiz ôn. Grajli I stāted t invnt fr mslf, t coment in mî ôn wrdz on ɖ bytiz n foliz arnd m… I folod mî frst drōñz wɖ a siriz intîtld Conflict, ẇč atmtd t undrstand ɖ pênfl nseṣti v deʈ n dstruẋn. Ɖ rzult wz an xibišn in 1966 at ɖ Instityt v Cntmprri Āts on Ɖ Mal, Lundn, a ṣlẋn fṛm ɖs siriz, čozn bî ɖ sriylist ātist Rôḷnd Penroz.
Bî 1972 Wdruf hd abandnd tīčñ t consntret fl-tîm on hiz iḷstrešn wrc. Evn Anṭni, at ɖt tîm ātcritc fr Ɖ Spectetr, ofrd m an xibišn at hiz Covnt Gāden Gaḷri, h rcwld. Ɖ šo wz a grt sxes, n wz twîs xtndd. I sold qt a nmbr v pêntñz n drōñz n svṛl hundṛd ečñz.
Az a rzult v ɖs xibišn, Wdruf wz cmišnd bî Pan Bcs’ ātdirctr Dêvid Lācin t criet cuvrz fr arnd 100 saynsfiẋn n fanṭsi bcs ovr ɖ nxt fy yirz, includñ wrcs bî Robt Hînlîn n Āʈr Č Clàc. A similr cmišn led t Wdruf pṛdysñ jacits fr olmst ol Mîcl Murcoc’s publicešnz, ʈru Qwtet Bcs. H nôtd v Murcoc’s wrc ɖt …nʈñ z impsbl, nʈñ uṇxptbl. Hiz monstrz, mšīnz n imprbbl wrldz d nt nīd t b fīẓbl – obzvešnz ɖt cd aplî īqli wel t ɖ ātist’s ôn landsceps v ɖ imajinešn.
Jrñ ɖ 1970z n ’80z h wz wn v ɖ ātists in most dmand fr ɖs žãra v iḷstrešn. Wrcñ wɖ ɖ myzišn Dêv Grīnsled, Wdruf iḷstretd a bc t acumṗni Ɖ Penttyc v ɖ Cozmoġni: Ɖ Brʈ n Deʈ v a Wrld (1979), a conspt dubl albm imajinñ an ełn Bc v Jeṇsis, ẇč sold mr ɖn 50,000 copiz. H olso crietd albmcuvrz fr Jūds Prīst’s LP Sad Wñz v Destini (1976) n fr Ɖ Sentinl (1984), bî pṛgresv rocband Paḷs.
In ɖ ŕli 1990z hiz c̣rir tc a ny drẋn ẇn a retṛspctv wz held at ɖ Chateau de Gruyères in Switṣḷnd, cuvrñ ɖ wōlz v ɖ fwmr Prizntâr, n atractñ 150,000 vizitrz. A prmnnt xibišn v hiz wrc nâ rzîdz ɖr. Folowñ ɖ sxes v ɖ 1992 xibišn, h hd sns šôn wîdli in Switṣḷnd, Jrṃni n Frans.
For v hiz wrcs wr ṣlctd fr an xibišn at ɖ Našnl Maritîm Myziym in Falmʈ in 2002. A wn-man šo, Patric Wdruf – Mastr v Fanṭsi, folod at ɖ tân’z ātgaḷri ʈri yirz lêtr. In 2009 Falmʈ aqîrd Mântindragnz v Britiš C̣lumbia (1977), a pìs az nôṭbl fr its content az fr its magnifisnt ōltrpìs-lîc frem n alpîn-stîl šutrz, dzînd bî Wdruf n cmišnd bî ɖ gaḷri’z drctr Brayn Stywt (Indipndnt običri, 10 Febrri 2011). Sevn yirz ago Wdruf hd bn daygnozd wɖ Pic’s dziz, a fwm v dmnša. Hiz frend, ɖ ātist Pwl Spūnr, tld Ɖ Indipndnt, Īvn ɖo hiz memri fr nemz hd priti mč gn, h wz ebl t fînd hiz we t plêsz wɖ īz. Hiz hêde wz ɖ 70z n 80z, mcñ mtikḷs pêntñz v impsbl sìnz n objcts… H wz an xtrōdnri ātist wɖ a Rnesns ātist’s cpaṣti fr crietv tecnīcs.
In ɖ epilog t hiz bc Miʈ̇poecon, Wdruf rout: N ẇn y hv finišt yr ltl flît arnd ɖ pāc, y hu wd hv wōct arnd ɖ wrld, bqiɖ t yr čildṛn yr miʈs n yr fanṭsiz, ɖt ɖ ričṇs v hymn xpirı̣ns me bcm a bc fr ol t rīd, a tesṭmnt fṛm ɖ dayñ î, a picčr v ɖ insîd v ɖ dayñ brên, a Miʈ̇poecon.
Patric Wdruf, ātist: born 27 Octobr 1940; marid 1964 Jīn Pādo (wn son, wn dwtr); dîd Truro 10 Me 2014.”
Māc̣s Wiłmsn, Đ INDIPNDNT, 4 Ōġst 2014
