A Different Kind Of Bark

Exhibition at West Town Farm, near Exeter, Devon. Paintings on bark, some exhibited outdoors on trees. For this exhibition I chose to explore the potential of bark as an art material. Some of the pieces on display are simply “samplers” – test pieces. Over the years I have experimented with many different materials and often incorporated seeds or other organic matter into my art. There is a long and widespread tradition of using bark in many ways – as a textile (barkcloth), for example, or to make vessels and canoes. When I work, whatever materials I use, I consider their history and other uses to be among the ingredients that go into the mix to make an artwork. I want there to be traces or echoes from other cultures and times – to make connections. Displaying some of the work outside adds another dimension. The process of making has always been very important to me and installing the work for exhibition is an important part of the process of making art. As I was installing paintings done on bark from one kind of tree, onto another kind of tree, thoughts of migration came in to my mind. As I moved the pieces around there were places where there seemed to be a natural “fit” - an enhancing both of the painted bark and the “host” tree. Trees and bark are naturally beautiful – I would not presume to compete with that. My works are meditations on our interaction with the world and our place in it; exploring textures and colours in bark, for example, to draw attention to the richness and beauty of the world – making discoveries for myself, and also I hope encouraging others to notice details which can so easily be overlooked.