Battenberg by the Sea − 2019

In 2019 Furr created a series of screenprints to be sold at the Art Car Boot Fair in London of that year. The screenprints were created by Furr at Richmond Art College when he was living in Ham.

The screenprint is interesting in that it is the first time Furr uses this medium since Art college at Wirral Met and then at Leics Polytechnic. The image combines two genres - landscape and still life. In order to get this image Furr took a battenberg cake with him when he visited Spain and set it on a beach to create the photographs from which to create halftone images from.

Christian describes the inspiration for the original battenberg series:

"I read that Leonie Orton, the writer Joe Orton's sister published a book about her memories of Joe and this was a memory from the book... "And then there was the cake. Joe appeared from the kitchenette holding aloft a plate in the middle of which sat a battenberg. He was parading in front of us, holding the plate like an exhibit at an auction. Turning the plate around he began to elucidate on it's wonderful so magical qualities; the pink and yellowness of the sponge and the precision of the marzipan. They both agreed it was as perfect as a cake could be. To me it was just an ordinary factory produced Lyons Battenberg but they were discussing it like it was a work of art."
After choosing to paint it, I remembered that it was my Dad’s favourite cake too.
To me a Battenberg is as valid a subject as Durer's grass in 'The Great Piece of Turf' To me it is 'The Great Piece of Cake' Maybe I am a connoisseur of ordinariness as I do find beauty in the mundane and like to put it on a pedestal by painting it."- Christian Furr 2017