Charred Kelp, Ochre, Bladderwrack on Paper.

76 x 56cm

These works invite the viewer to explore the depths of interior and exterior spaces through deliberate gestural strokes. The evokes a sense of haunting space, a deep underground chasm or cavern. There is a feeling of moving forward while edding backwards simultaneously, as in an echo chamber. 

Cotton rag paper has been drenched in water. As the liquid soaked into the fibres it caused the paper to buckle and swell creating undulations across the surface. Charred kelp pigment was then washed onto the paper and sprayed with water which caused them to move across the surface leaving behind trails of pigment.  Speckles and sprinkles of earth pigment, kelp and bladderwrack ink were then dropped onto the work. Depending on the viscosity of the drip, the saturation of the paper and the layers of pigment already on the page, each new drip reacted differently, often pooling in the troughs and dips or diffusing into specific areas. The works combine movement and stillness in how the pigment has been applied, allowing the eyes to travel across the terrain of the artwork.