Artist statement
I am interested in landscapes and how they make us feel. Specifically what they conjure in us by way of memory as well as what they project of their own spirit and personal histories. First and foremost I use landscapes to express feeling. I am drawn to things in life that via some kind of magic find their way into my work, and I try not to get in the way. These things are usually to do with music, materials, being outside, folk songs/lore/tales and the social history of the humans who people(d) the English landscape.
Our landscape
Our landscape is sometimes problematic: it can be gated and exclusive, fashioned to be exploitative, unsafe, politicised, monetised. My work reflects the kind of access I have had to landscape down the years, rooted firmly in the walked landscapes of my childhood and the evening, weekend and holiday landscapes of my adult life. This is relatively privileged access but like most of the population in Britain it is still hugely restricted by land/waterways ownership and regressive trespass laws. I am fully supportive of groups and individuals pushing for greater access and common rights to the land.
November 24, 2021
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