Art Room: Working towards SWL Event

Suffolk Wild Life - Eco- Art Display at Carlton Reserve, September 2024.

"All wildness is finer than tameness". John Muir conservation writer(ref1)

"I walked through the forest and found life". Frans Krajcberg. Sculptural, eco -artist activist of the Amazon.

If a tree falls in the forest...does
anybody hear?...charcoal &pastel yf 2013

The event will focus on trees, highlighting the consequential impact of deforestation on biodiversity. Originally the images were shown as part of the exhibition, 'Viewing Change'. My views, still, evolving were intially informed by 'The World Land Trust' back in 2013/14....Working with WLT transformed and deepened my understanding of how as humans we are changing the face of the Earth from a multifaceted, diverse world to a colonised monoculture exsistance.

A major inspirational 'go to' book - "Deep Ecology in The 21st C," keys into the human impacts on nature...George Sessions most interesting article addresses the issues and reasons behind human mono- culturing of wild spaces .

He not only explores important eco writings, but also illuminates the evolving, changing of views of some, giving insight into a growing awareness of how the natural world is valued by humans - much like Aldo Leopold's own shift from anthropo-centric toward a deepening of eco-centric values. So it seems there's an on going, growing understanding a shifting in the ways of seeing how all things really do connect.

One particularly insightful point was expressed by Forestry critic, Chris Maser, who stated, " We are liquidating our forests and replacing them with short rotation plantations.....Everything Nature does in designing forests adds to diversity, complexity, and stability through time. We decrease this by redesigning forests to plantations. "...

Sessions eloquent response - which resonates somewhat, says, " The destruction of ancient forests must cease, and a massive global effort should be made to restore diverse wild forest ecosystems. " To add to this, is, the great need of our time to literally protect the ancient forests that remain. In England there are remnants - small pockets of ancient woodlands, how very much they are in need of protection now more than ever - they are after all the last remnants of wild diverse places.

"Natural Forests, new research tells us are no longer something to move through, in some economic sense, in our quest for higher gains, but indeed are a key element in the balanced functioning of planetary life. " Bob Nixon.ref 2.

Onwards to the September display......

Presently I've been working on nature based linocut ideas . As part of the event. The idea is to create multiple, small original hand printed works made into cards.

Dragonfly . yf 24

It's been a while since making linocut images - so often I expect not all, intially, will work out according to plan. The process of Linocut techniques brings with it an element of trial and error, yet it is quite magical to see an image evolve in the process. Preparing with an idea in mind or working from image helps with focus. Linocut block materials vary. I tend to work with three tools to hand and start with sketching my idea onto the lino. Using the brass rubbing technique as the work evolves enables me to be aware of areas within the image that either need to be left or to keep working on - one wrong cut with the tool can 'wright off' an image...