The starting point for my work is the landscape and now, based in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, I find an industrial heritage dating back to pre Roman eras where human intervention and attempts at control have left their mark sometimes visible and sometimes hidden. By making drawings and rubbings, collecting ephemera and making photographs a feel for a particular place emerges. Resulting textures, colours and shapes are then translated into print by employing collagraph, etching, relief print and stone lithography - whatever seems appropriate to convey a feeling rather than a representative image.
To a certain extent my images are dictated by the print process. With minimal planning each print is built individually, combining blocks and plates, embossing and overprinting, cutting, burning and generally manipulating the paper itself giving rise to many surprises and often resulting in a heavily textured image perhaps almost 'object' rather than 'image'.
Latterly my interest has focused on working in ways that minimise damage to the environment, including the use of recycled materials, vegetable-based inks and cleaning products and eliminating the use of chemicals as far as possible.
To a certain extent my images are dictated by the print process. With minimal planning each print is built individually, combining blocks and plates, embossing and overprinting, cutting, burning and generally manipulating the paper itself giving rise to many surprises and often resulting in a heavily textured image perhaps almost 'object' rather than 'image'.
Latterly my interest has focused on working in ways that minimise damage to the environment, including the use of recycled materials, vegetable-based inks and cleaning products and eliminating the use of chemicals as far as possible.