A selection of images from the series can be seen in the gallery below. All 26 images in the collection are featured in a hand-crafted book (artists edition of 5). See BOOKS page for more details.
“For many of us, particularly those living in urban areas, birds represent the closest connection we have with the natural world. Living alongside us in our towns and cities, in our gardens, parks and hedgerows, their world intersects ours. They represent much to us, entwined as they are in our histories and traditions and moving us to create art and poetry. While conjuring up for us a sense of freedom, they remain elusive. If we dare to get too close, they do what we long to do, but can’t…..they fly.
Each year I welcome the arrival of migratory birds to the windswept shores of the Dee Estuary, their pathways of flight connecting me to distant lands. The beach seems quieter and lonelier during the months they are gone, but in my small, walled garden, activity continues throughout the year. Blackbirds, chaffinches and sparrows mark the passing of the seasons, building nests and raising their young in these temporary homes.
Most often concealed from our view, each nest is perfectly suited to its task and assembled using just the right materials – dried leaves and gnarled bark, found thread and forgotten feathers. There may be a thousand different pieces, all intricately woven, and carefully collected.
In time the fledglings take to the wing, their nests now abandoned. Caught by a west coast breeze and fallen from the sky, their downy feathers can often be found in amongst the sea grasses and snagging twigs.
In this collection of images, I wanted to convey something of the beauty of what is left behind, the only traces of birds that we can get close to. In the delicate tangle of found feathers and empty nests, we are reminded of the value of connecting to the natural world that surrounds us.”
Entwined
A selection of images from the series can be seen in the gallery below. All 26 images in the collection are featured in a hand-crafted book (artists edition of 5). See BOOKS page for more details.
“For many of us, particularly those living in urban areas, birds represent the closest connection we have with the natural world. Living alongside us in our towns and cities, in our gardens, parks and hedgerows, their world intersects ours. They represent much to us, entwined as they are in our histories and traditions and moving us to create art and poetry. While conjuring up for us a sense of freedom, they remain elusive. If we dare to get too close, they do what we long to do, but can’t…..they fly.
Each year I welcome the arrival of migratory birds to the windswept shores of the Dee Estuary, their pathways of flight connecting me to distant lands. The beach seems quieter and lonelier during the months they are gone, but in my small, walled garden, activity continues throughout the year. Blackbirds, chaffinches and sparrows mark the passing of the seasons, building nests and raising their young in these temporary homes.
Most often concealed from our view, each nest is perfectly suited to its task and assembled using just the right materials – dried leaves and gnarled bark, found thread and forgotten feathers. There may be a thousand different pieces, all intricately woven, and carefully collected.
In time the fledglings take to the wing, their nests now abandoned. Caught by a west coast breeze and fallen from the sky, their downy feathers can often be found in amongst the sea grasses and snagging twigs.
In this collection of images, I wanted to convey something of the beauty of what is left behind, the only traces of birds that we can get close to. In the delicate tangle of found feathers and empty nests, we are reminded of the value of connecting to the natural world that surrounds us.”