We Mark the Land

This series is about human traces on landscapes. I show the human marks of the current day, such as paths, fences or dwellings, in a semi-literal way. But through the use of line, symbol, and layers that obscure and reveal what lies beneath, I want to honour the memories and stories that inhabitants hold from decades or centuries past.

Placing a hand against the cool surface of a standing stone can invoke a feeling of the lives lived eons ago. Walking a footpath, imagine the feet of the great-great-grandparents who walked this way before. Standing in caves that decades ago sheltered people in extreme circumstances, I feel I can almost hear their voices. See the sweat of labour in stone walls, rail fences, barbed wire.

Physical markers conjure the lives of their makers and users. I want to capture some of it in these paintings.