What Look For..

These images were commissioned by the Museum Of English Rural Life in Reading as part of an exhibition of original artwork used in Ladybird children’s books. I was asked to offer a photographic response to Charles Tunnicliffe’s paintings for the popular ‘What to Look For...’ series. My images utilise a range of photographic techniques, from pin-hole camera to digital manipulation. Each corresponds to a season, and follow the suggestion at the beginning of What to Look For in Autumn that the book should 'greatly increase the pleasure of your country walks'. I began each image with a photograph taken whilst walking near my home.   Each image repeats structural elements within Tunnicliffe's work. They divide the page into three horizontal sections, place fauna in the foreground, utilise a soft palate with a vibrant spot colour, and locate human activity far away. Subtle differences emerge, however. The horizons, trees, and flowers are never precisely where Tunnicliffe places them. This interest in the complexities of repetition can also be seen in the use of composites. I am interested in making the viewer aware of such techniques, constantly drawing attention to the constructed nature of the images I produce.