Making drawings to remember landscape experince

I worked on a large project in which I explored how we are connected to the outdoor world. As part of this project I developed an arts practice with drawing and installation on Bakestonedale Moor, in the vicinity of Macclesfield, in the British Peak District. I spent a lot of time outdoors, using the ‘mobile work kit’ (MWK) to make drawings on site and temporary installations. I walked around a lot, carrying my artmaking materials. The wind and rain can be ferocious on Bakestonedale Moor because the area is very exposed and there are very few possibilities to shelter. The drawings shown here were made in the studio. When I made them, I re-imagined situations outdoors and whilst making them, I turned my intention towards the ways in which I experienced the sky, the wind, and the ground in relation to myself. When you are doing things outdoors and your attention is towards making things, constructing an installation or walking beyond paths, your focus tunes into particular aspects of your experience and you may just not be aware of other aspects of the environment. The experience of your inner world, how your body feels whilst you walk or climb, the thoughts that cross your mind and what you see in your surroundings all merge into a continuum of a personally felt space. I often felt that the sky of Bakestonedale Moor had such a dominating quality that I felt ‘squashed’ by it, though it has such a visually open aspect. When I exhibited these drawings I showed them together with photographs of myself working outdoors on Bakestonedale Moor. I thought that the drawings and the photographs complemented each other because both types of images referred to the same landscape and personal experience but in different ways.