Primordial

Painted on board, protected with a clear wax coat, mounted on board and framed with a slab tray frame in white wood. 

I loved my recent drawing trip to this area of West Penwith in Cornwall. I am fascinated by the sense of time and history in the fields and ancient walls. I wanted to capture a sense of history in the landscape and the intensity of the moment waiting for the storm to break. I also like the idea of looking beneath the surface, what lies below the grass in this primordial soil, what stories could it tell. I’m a huge fan of the TV show “The Detectorists” – in fact, as a child I desperately yearned for a metal detector and wanted to become an archaeologist (as well as a vet and an artist). This brings back memories of digging up old pennies, clay pipes and bottles in the back garden and surrounding areas, and then setting up a “museum” on my bedroom windowsill, which my parents had to pay 10p to come in and visit. I am drawn to places that have that sense of humanity over thousands of years. A theme I will explore more in my work.