Night Trees

Fungi Spore Prints

Spore Prints on Silk

I gained a BA (FA) from the University of South Africa in 1995, moved to Somerset in 1998 and I have lived in the Quantock Hills for the past four years. The natural world around me has always been the main subject of my artwork.  I am fascinated with plant forms, growth and life cycles and wild places. Living in the Quantock Hills provides endless sources of inspiration, and I have been working with trees and woodland since I moved here. Beneath the exterior beauty of woods and forests are layers of symbolism and mythology, spiritual and contemplative - but also evil, dark and dangerous - aspects. I am drawn to the mysterious, shadowy depths of forests, as well as the wonderful variety of bark patterns and tree forms. Carbonated wood seems an appropriate tool to use in this context and I've always loved drawing with charcoal, but mixed with casein (a binder) and water, it becomes a painterly medium. It's a similar technique to watercolour painting, but I break all the rules - scrubbing out, working over areas, and leaving very little white paper. The process feels like a battle, but somehow the final work is resolved, with the drama of chiaroscuro and intricate, organic surfaces created by the medium itself. I started off with fairly conventional woodland scenes, but soon felt impelled to focus in on the forms, textures and dynamics of individual trees, trying to pare down the imagery to its essential elements. More than simply portraying the visual, what I aim to achieve in this process is to capture certain elements of the trees and woodland, at the same time transforming them and emphasising moods and atmospheres with the materials I use. The interaction and balance between the subject and the medium is therefore a vital part of the work.