Robert Groves, one of the founding artists of Ikon, presented a series of small scale crayon and pencil drawings on paper, inspired by the extraordinary topiary in the gardens at Packwood House. His drawings revealed his continuing preoccupation with abstraction derived from the real world. Groves’ work combines a modesty of scale and medium with an intensity of interrogation and technique, subtly drawing out the spirit of his subjects.

Packwood House was lovingly restored to reflect life in the 17th century by Graham Baron Ash in the 1920s and 30s. The gardens are renowned for the collection of yews and herbaceous borders.

A selection of works from this series was also shown at Birmingham Botanical Gardens and in Erdington during the summer of 2007.