The Power Of Its Name

why I can't help picking up the thread

The Festial ‘eye’, found by chance on a ploughed field during a past art-related adventure

Hello, lovely ‘between the moons’ friends. I hope you’re feeling the start of the shift as the days gradually draw out and the first snowdrops and aconites push through, bringing with them hope from the deep dark earth.

I need to begin with a little explanation of how I see the next couple of months here at Bracken & Wrack, and how our get-togethers around the first and last quarter moons may change a little during that time.

Also I have news of something I’m planning to add to our little community this spring which hopefully you’ll be as excited about as I am!

So, let’s begin with the explanation.

As some of you know, my background is as an artist - I studied fine art full time for five years and I have a BA (first class hons) and MA from Norwich University Of The Arts. When you read the words ‘fine art’ I know many people assume that means that you draw, paint or sculpt. In fact, it was my own understanding that you needed to be able to draw that stopped me from even doing Art ‘O’ Level (today’s GSCE).

Fast forward many years, and gradually I discovered that an art qualification could mean things other than skill with a brush or pencil. I did a year-long Access to Art and Design course - the equivalent of Foundation - at a local further education college so that I could apply to study for a degree. Inspired by themes of folklore, magic, archaeology and how we humans have always interacted spiritually with the land (nothing changes!) my work quickly became very conceptual. I started using media like photography, printmaking and casting to create site-specific installations and performance - and to be honest, worked like a crazy thing as more and more ideas threw themselves at me.

Site specific intervention using moving candles and long exposure photography in Wood Dalling church at night on December 6 2007, Old Christmas Eve by the Julian Calendar