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Northcote Nature Reserve
Northcote Nature Reserve is a fantastic example of community action. It was an old recreation ground that had fallen into neglect and disuse. But after nearly 10 years of hard work and sheer dogged determination, it has been transformed by […]
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Down here up there
On the days I go to the river, its usually sunny and everything glitters. It feels like a haven, a piece of wilderness in the middle of urban London. Visiting it reminds me of a book by Rob Cowen, Common […]
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Mr Turner
I have been reading about Turner’s connections with Brentford, Isleworth and Twickenham, and came across this etching, from 1819. It’s a view of the Thames at low tide, where the River Crane feeds into it. Isleworth Ait can be seen […]
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Eco Printing
In May I took plants from next to the river to print their pigment onto paper. It has rained a lot this spring and the water in the river has been deep with strong currents so, together with timing my […]
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Monster soup
There is a hand coloured satirical engraving by William Heath (1828) at The British Museum entitled Monster soup commonly called Thames water, being a correct representation of that precious stuff doled out to us!!! A title above the design reads: […]
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Digging up treasure
I went back to the river today to dig up the linen I buried 2 weeks ago. I was feeling concerned that it would be a)washed away or b)torn to shreds. Happy days! It was still there and […]
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Buried treasure
I took some linen down to the river today and buried it. I’m hoping it will hold marks made by the water and stones, soil and other bits of debris from the riverbed. The current can be quite strong, especially […]
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First visit for the new year
With all the rain we have had this month, this was the first week I wanted to brave the river – the flow has been really fast and high. Not much marginal plant life at this time of year – […]
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From Divers to Divas
I really enjoy the conversations that come up at exhibitions. At Brentford Creative Mile this month, two lovely snippets of Crane history came out of the many amazing conversations I had… One was that there used to be a freshwater […]
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Pure Alchemy!
I’ve been thinking about making my own ink using oak galls and materials from the river for a while and then the other day I came across some oak galls and decided to get started. I couldn’t believe how easy […]
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Beautiful threat
Brought over in 1839 for its exquisite flowers, Himalayan Balsam is now ravaging our river banks. It grows rapidly and spreads quickly, smothering other plants as it goes. As you walk along the River Crane, you see it standing in […]
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A great piece of turf!
Looking at the plants on the river bank and thinking about which to draw, I’m reminded of a painting that I keep going back to – The Great Piece of Turf by Albrecht Dürer, 1503, painted in watercolour and […]