Spinney (Close Growing Trees)
The title may seem a little odd!! But it's a commonly used term when describing woodland with close growing trees of varying types.
This is a small, and in some ways intimate, installation of 15 Linen Vessels of various sizes. Created with layers of Irish linen and gauze. The print has been created using the eco-print process, and then botanical inks made from Ivy, oak gall, and oak bark for detail, along with organics (birch, grass cordage, and lichen).
Evoking the textures of bark. Forms echo the close growing trunks of trees from deep in the woodland. The colours bring to mind the quiet mossy carpets beneath and branches thick with lichens above.
I spent much time foraging windfallen branches and bark to make ink and dye for pieces in Earth Made. So this collection of vessels sort of quite naturally evolved from those calm and meditative times. Hopefully visitors will find Spinney a piece of quiet contemplation, which draws you into the details.
I definitely enjoyed the challenge of using my usual process and materials to make something more 3D. I possibly found it one of the more tricky pieces to install, having to think of each vantage point to create balance. I think we got there in the end!
