It’s Sunday and I have unexpectedly found some time to write an update of the things that i’ve been doing. Admittedly I should probably be catching on some domestic chores - hey ho. !! … Also, I do find that putting things down like this helps me to organise my thinking and aids the whole reflection process.
Photo Credit - Lorna Tyrie
In this blog post there are some pictures and reflections from my time working with the talented team of Fibre Arts Take 2. They spent a week with me, mainly in my studio, in order to film an online course which will take the form of my signature course. This course is now in the editing stage and will be released later in the year. It covers many of the processes and techniques that I use in my own work. I share my approaches, ways of thinking and methods of developing ideas and generating outcomes to specific starting points.
Farlington Marsh on day 1 of filming - location visit to collect images
Being involved in filming of this nature was fascinating. I learnt so much not only about the technical aspects of filming both indoors and outdoors but also about myself, what I do and why I do it. There were a fair few comedy moments, mostly caused by some classic bloopers on my part.
It was a wonderfully focused time and I am so looking forward to sharing my course later in the year when it will be released. If you would like to register your interest in my Online Course just follow the link.
Photo from Fibre Arts Take 2 ( Instagram) filming in the studio
Photographic prints from recent visits to Langstone Harbour (below) marsh areas and Mawddach Valley (above)
A few weeks after the Fibre Arts take 2 filming I went off to Mid-Wales for a two week immersive artistic period following an invitation from the team behind the Mawddach Residency. Situated on the top floor of a large house, which overlooks the tranquil and at times breathtaking Mawddach Estuary, this Residency ‘provides the opportunity for selected artists-in-residence to fully immerse themselves in their work’
On day 2 - Sue drawing the Mawddach valley from a look - out point at Barmouth, Gwynned
The objective of this time was to work on my current ideas and make new work. This was also a collaborative time as I shared the residency studio and accommodation with Sue Jarman, a friend and colleague who I met at Digswell Arts. Sue’s work is quite different to mine and this was especially appealing to us. To work with someone who approached things differently. To learn about our methods, share ways of working and view the environment through different eyes.
A trip at dusk to collect photos - photo credit Sue Jarman
Day 3 - Mawddach Estuary
My main intention going to Mawddach was to investigate the estuary itself and its marshy wetland edges which hug the various inlets of the estuary. However, my interest was especially piqued by the peat bogs that straddle the area at the back of where I was staying. The Arthog peat bog is managed by the RSPB and is a ‘remnant of a vast raised bog which once covered much of the Mawddach valley.
Day 6 - Arthog Bog,
Editing photos in the studio.
Although a relatively small area it was fascinating to investigate and quite simply wonderful to discover on foot. The ditches that criss cross this area became an obsessive pursuit. I especially loved photographing the ditches very close up but did get a few funny looks from nearby campers - probably wondering why on earth I was photographing a muddy ditch !!
The images I have come away with reveal an aspect of the bog’s ditches that especially drew my attention. namely, the fluorescent, coppery, molten-like surface that appeared in certain light conditions. I read that millennia is literally locked up under these bogs. …. A sobering thought.
I also was delighted to learn that ‘work is under way to bring this area back to its natural state’ since having gone through a period of being drained when peat was removed.
The contribution of Peat Bogs to the Climate crisis due to their ability to store carbon and to ‘slow down’ and store water is immense. Bringing them ‘back’ would ‘suck’ even more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Gelli plate drawings working from the Peat Bogs on fine Japanese paper - photo credit Jake Spicer
Bogs haven’t had ‘good press’ and there is a fair bit of resistance to the RSPB conservation measures from local landowners so it’s a delicate and complex ongoing discussion.
There is more about the Value of Peat Bogs on the radio programme 39 Ways to save the Planet
The enormous quantity of photos and images that I collected over the 2 weeks was such that I am still going through them all. I also began some print exploration towards the end of the residency. Its going to be fun taking these starting points into the newly revamped Portsmouth Printmakers Studio.
Final day - our work laid out in the studio. Photo credit - Jake Spicer
Follow Sue Jarman’s work
read about the Mawddach Residency