Realisation
My connection to the landscape although may not have always been present in my art has always been clear in my head .It may seem late in the game so to speak; but I have found where my passions lie within the landscape. Since the in depth research into dissertation artists Hamish Fulton and Richard Long, I have unconsciously been focusing on the ‘Walking element’ within the land. When I say walking element I do not necessarily mean the direct connection to the artists, where I have been walking around particular areas, however, I have found an interest looking at the pathways that form the environment and more interestingly the trodden pathways, formed over a period of time by endless amounts of people.
Not only do I find them fascinating to see but they also tell a story. They come in different shapes, sizes, direction and distance, all scattered over different terrains. They act as guidance within the landscape, especially when unknown to one. When I visited Dedham/ Flatford, everywhere you look is a trail or route you can take. My eyes were drawn to all the different possibilities of which one to take. The paths gave the landscape a character, something that stood out to me. Although the concrete earliest pathways are still of interest to me as they lead you to the outdoors in the first place, it is the unique manmade tracks that have a significance in my work.
So what is it that I find particularly interesting about the hidden pathways?
The beginning of a journey
People follow the pathway even if they don’t know where it’s going to lead them.
The grass has worn away to create that trail.
They all are of a different and unusual appearance.
When you take a shortcut you are embarking on your own individual journey.
Someone else is then to follow you
Which trodden path do you take when you have a choice
Taking the unknown
Did you start the track
Why do you go off the concrete and take often the uneasy route
Are you trying to visit a place of secrecy?
Hamish Fulton and Richard long have been the main influences into this final degree project. Research of their individual process’ and articulations of the natural environment formed a fascinating argument which I thoroughly enjoyed writing about. Since embarking on my own journey of my articulations of the natural environment, I have jumped right into the landscape, walking and taking in all the natural happenings around me. My camera acts as the documentation to my inhale and then is later exuded in the studio. Some of my favourite pathways have been the ones that are dainty and hard to see within the grass. They are freshly made and I am really enjoying experimenting and looking at them.
My degree show will focus on the ‘pathway’, but how….
