Riparian II

'Riparian II' was inspired by a tour of Bovey Valley Woods, courtesy of the Woodland Trust in March of this year.

With this piece, I was trying to capture the nature of the moisture-laden microclimates that near-river trees create for themselves and their hosts. These include a unique variety of lichens and bryophytes that inhabit these rare temperate rainforests. These species have been adversely affected nationwide by pollution and more recently, by extended periods of excessive drought and sunlight.

The husbandry work being done by the Woodland Trust at Bovey Valley Woods and elsewhere on the west coast of the UK aims to provide increased canopy protection & atmospheric moisture for these species, some of which are endemic to these isles and found nowhere else on earth.

The final element used is a reduction monoprint - one black layer, and then a 'roll over' with iridescent pearl & gold. This was rather tricky in 30 degrees in the conservatory, so working quickly was essential! I wanted to emphasise that these trees exist in a hyper-oceanic region, so the retarder base I used helped by adding a watery effect. There is also a particular element of ancient, Celtic tree mythology that I wanted to capture here with 'Riparian II'.