It
seems hard to believe that it was just a month ago when the Bluebells
were fully out and smelling so
powerfully
fragrant in our woods. Today it is hot, very hot and
the season of Bluebells
seem an age away.
 |
| The way into the wood. |
When
I remind myself of how it was when I walked into the lush woodland to
see and smell such a vibrant and abundant flower it almost seems like
a dream. The floor of the wood was covered in this amazing blue,
nearly violet in hue and the haze of the colour spread out as far as
the eye could see, in bright contrast to the emerald green leaves of
the new Beech leaves overhead.
 |
| Storing and pressing a few Bluebells for my printing work at the studio later. |
I
remember Alison
Lees, my friend and collaborating artist on the project 'Spirit of
Place', sat on a fallen tree trunk and I sat on the damp forest floor
observing and sketching the Bluebells, insects
and trees and in doing so we felt
nestled in, among and part of nature itself.
 |
| Painting in situ, on the woodland floor. |
Later
on in my studio I created a series of Gelli-plate prints coupled with
William Blake’s
words, celebrating the wonder of this moment. Since then I have also
made a very large woodcut print of my experience
and a much smaller drypoint etching. These will be on show in our mid
year Summer exhibition, which we are planning now for next month.
(Dates and place to be confirmed ASAP!).
 |
| Detail of the 'reveal' as it happened! |
Tonight,
I will lead a group of people in a procession up the ancient Salt
Way, to mark the change in season, celebrating today the Summer
Solstice and the longest day of the year. A day when the daylight
prevails and darkness is scarce. The
path we take, The
Salt Way has been written about many times in this blog, for I used
it as a case study when I studied for a Masters a few years back. It
is a trading route which has views out over Whitstable Bay to the
north and the remains of the ancient
North Wood
of Kent to the south.
 |
| Summer Solstice procession. |
From
the point at which we stop and sit,
gathering
around a tiny fire as
dusk finally arrives we
have a 360 degree view
of our surroundings. Once again nestled down in nature and on this
significant day,
amongst
friends, we mark time, recognising the deep connection we have with
people and place.
The
Salt Way continues on from
this point at which we are seated, to
Canterbury and beyond as
it has done for thousands of years. To
step out literally from this
seemingly
highly
chaotic and busy world we live
in and
take time to slow down,
the notion of the path connecting people to place over generations
and more recently seasons has a very calming affect on us all.
Long
may it last.
 |
| A finished Gelli-plate print. |
Our
mid year Summer exhibition, which we are planning now for next month
will
have its date and place confirmed on the next blog.
In
the meantime for your diaries I will
be opening the doors of my beautiful straw bale studio once again
this year to exhibit my own and Alison’s work as part of the
Canterbury Festival, the theme is still 'The Spirit of Place' and is
an ongoing art project based in Kent.
You
can keep up to date with our explorations and discoveries by looking
at www.facebook.com/EastKentSpiritOfPlace
Open
times are 11-5 daily on the weekends from 14-29th
of October. We can be found at house number 25 on the Whitstable
trail. Please see the webpage www.ekoh.org.uk
for more information.
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