Not down in the South of France

My interest in silkscreen printing and pattern has inspired me to create a range of patterns on fabric. I have started off with a very simple design, but I feel I could create more complex images using colour separation. Here are my first efforts.

The stronger tree shapes in this print led to conflict within myself because I wanted to show the dominance of the trees as I first saw them. However within minutes of being under the tree canopy I noticed the lattice of lichen on the branches of every tree. So although the trees are dark brown in the print they are also transparent, allowing the lichen to be seen through the trees on closer inspection. It is this closer inspection that I want to share with the viewer.

Since August I have been struggling to develop an image that gives me the soft shapes of the lichen juxtaposed to the spindle straight tree trunks. After many variations on the computer I felt I had to move into the practice before I could fully interpret what was in my head. I wanted the lichen to be in layers of colour and intensity against the strong shape of the trees themselves, but I didn’t want the trees to be overpowering. I wanted the final image to show the symbiotic relationship of lichen and trees to reflect the the fragile balance of nature and man.

I have been staying at the home of our friends who have been in France for a little over a year. Moving from the Isle of Man to the South of France has been an adventure which they have embraced whole heartedly and it is easy to see why. The plot of land their house is built on is surrounded on two sides by trees with a meadow stretching away from the house down to woodland.

Lichen and moss cling to the trees creating a decorative canopy that provide much needed shade in the summer whilst the dead wood provides fuel for the fire in winter.

Inspired by their way of life I have used the trees as my inspiration to create a print. The florescent green of the lichen has been my starting point and represents the bleached colours of the summer sun. The black of the upper print represent the strength of the trees and also the winter when the trees are used as fuel for the fire.

The overall impression I am trying to create is the extreme heat of the summer juxtaposed to the depth of cold in the winter months. The delicate moss and lichen which survive the extremes of heat and cold reflect the endurance of man to move and adapt to our surroundings and be part of the world we live in no matter where that may be.

I have made three prints. To produce the final print I have used layers to create a stronger image. This has been necessary because the print has been produced with hand pressure, using acrylic paint, block printing ink and a roller on an acrylic sheet.

The images still need a little work on them but I hope to do a little each morning before the sun demands I stop and take it easy. It’s a dirty job but someone has to do it.