A Study in Stillness (and Movement): Three Prints Inspired by British Wetlands

Wetlands have a way of lifting the mood without making a fuss about it. There’s the shimmer of light on water, the gentle rhythm of birds wading, insects buzzing and those wide, open skies that seem to stretch everything out - including your thoughts.

This ‘Wetland Series’ of three prints grew out of time spent around Rutland Water, alongside visits to the wetlands of Norfolk. These places although some miles apart, share the same sense of openness and provide a rich habitat for wading birds and native plant life.

Within this series I have tried to pare the landscape back to its essential forms - sweeping lines, swirling forms, reflections and areas of light. I’m drawn to the idea of distilling a scene rather than describing it in detail, allowing space for abstraction and for you the viewer to find your own connection within it. Something developed through my printmaking practices is the practice of reduction, working with a limited colour palette, simplifying shapes and letting the landscape breathe.

There’s a structure running through the work. Influenced by my background in surface pattern design, I’ve incorporated collaged areas of pattern and there are also repeating rhythms within the compositions, connecting the series and adding a quiet energy across each piece.

The series was also mildly influenced by John Wells’ ‘Sea Bird Forms’ painting of 1951, a piece I saw at Tate St Ives some years ago and which stayed with me – incorporating a little of the abstraction of forms and movement.

The birds themselves are the starting point to these peices and much of my work. I spend a lot of time observing and sketching, (both out in the wild and using photos) studying how they move through shallow water - the tilt of a head, the sweep of a beak, the stamping of feet to disturb the water bed and encourage a meal to appear! From there, I refine the shapes down to something simple but expressive. The aim is to capture their character rather than every feather.

Plant forms are treated in a similar way. My experience of botanical monoprint has led me to look closely at native species like reeds, grasses and trees. This time I studied via sketching (rather than squashing them on an etching press!), before distilling the essence of species into hand drawn and printed elements.

The series includes three prints, designed to work together or stand alone:

Morning Sweep (below) - Avocets sweeping through the water for their breakfast

Amongst the Tussocks -(below) Godwits weaving through beds of Greater Tussock reeds

Evening Call -(below) Curlews wading beneath a Willow tree as the day draws in

A range of techniques sit behind the work. I work in an illustrative way, initially studying and sketching bird life, botanical elements and creating landscape compositions. Then working to simplify elements, using layered handprinted collagraph and monotype elements and sometimes adding hand drawn details. My intention is to create pieces that feel calm, balanced, uplifting, connecting the viewer to the landscape that inspires them.

The prints are available as giclée editions, along with a selection of greetings cards, online, through selected retailers and at events.