A walk in the Magic Woods
During lockdown, unable to cast more widely, I delved deeper into my own locality, taking pleasure and inspiration from here. I am very fortunate to live in a wonderful area; a rich tapestry of trees, hills and lochs, woven together with history going back to the Neolithic. I’ve slowed down, taking time to explore and examine the local environment, watching the seasons change and impact on the landscape, appreciating the complex nature of our interactions with the land.
For this exhibition, which hung outside in the grounds of Tir na nOg near Drymen, I collected leaves from their woods and used them to colour fabric, by steaming and by cyanotype (blueprint). The imagery on these quilted pieces was all directly from the woods where they hung them for several months in 2021. By the end, nature was beginning to claim them as its own, as it added extra colour, with mildew and green and the sun bleached out much of the colour I’d added – an interactive exhibition with the woods which had inspired the work.
