Native British Trees
Britain's trees and ancient woodland have long been a source of human fascination, inspiring legend and shaping our connection to the natural world. Through the lens of these paintings and drawings, the landscape becomes a living, breathing entity intertwined with the actions and legacy of (extreme) human cohabitation. The resulting images are otherworldly, capturing something supernatural, impossible, ethereal, yet familiar. The series invites us to consider how our relationship with the land has shaped our folklore and history and influenced our sense of place and belonging.
Native British Trees is an ongoing series which reflects on the destructive nature of our present and the potential consequences of Britain's actions abroad. While the paintings and drawings show reverence for trees and woodland, they also warn of the devastation that can be inflicted on the earth by our actions, as arms testing is often conducted domestically. The outlines of mature oak, lime, willow, and elm trees resemble the shapes of artillery explosions, missiles, and airstrikes, all of which have been produced on or traced back to British soil. The resulting images are both unsettling and beautiful, capturing the tension between aggression and tranquillity.
Within my artwork, I have explored the connections between explosions caused by warfare or military arms testing that have ties to Great Britain or British companies and landscapes associated with arms manufacturing sites or military conflict. Recently something has changed, and so has the iconography that interests me. I am now drawn to the genetic makeup of a forced and vulnerable landscape, moreover how devasting human events or management of plant life can change the very soil and fauna within it. Mutated flowers, impossible crops, irradiated gardens, burnt forests, and plants that erupt from ashes all now feature amongst subtle explosive backdrops and trees now coexist on the canvas in colours of unnatural tones.
Root and Branch Destruction by Jane Morrow
In late 2018, Belfast-based independent curator and PhD researcher Jane Morrow reflected on the first 2 years of Native British Trees. Jane has a specific interest in artist and organisational development, and after a very enjoyable weekend and studio visit, she wrote a perfect essay on my practice and the themes which are now underpin my latest works, whatever media it manifests as.
