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Trees of Marchmont 4

A wounded beech

a beech tree trunk in sunshine

I was on the hunt for ghosts. Not the most obvious of days for a ghost hunt – bright spring sunshine, birds singing their little hearts out and all the greenness getting ready to burst. However, I was excited by the possibilities the day’s light held for photography. I like to take reference photos in both clear sunshine and soft overcast light, as the combination helps me understand the tree’s form, along with drawing as the primary tool. Today was a day for sharp contrasts.

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Trees of Marchmont 2

The Quarry veteran

When I was first commisioned to make charcoal drawings for the Marchmont collection, I was given a map which owner Hugo Burge had annotated with some of his favourite estate trees.

a gnarly beech tree

On one of my research trips to the Scottish Borders, Hugo’s map guided me to a cluster of rather mangled beeches at the edge of an old quarry.

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Trees of Marchmont 1

Hugo’s ‘Tree of Wonder’

It wasn’t too easy to find but it was so worth the effort. On a breezy March day in the Scottish Borders, I headed up a hill with my tree drawing sketchbook and kit, through a disused quarry onto a moor, then into a remnant of an old plantation.

a very large beech tree

There in front of me stood a magnificent pollarded beech, vast in girth and rich with mossy bark and wet hollows. Huge limbs, encased in green spread low across the leaf littered ground. Its historical management contributed to this complexity of form and extent of decay, now providing habitat for the millions of tiny lives we cannot see. I could see why Hugo regarded it as wondrous.

a large old beech tree covered in moss

I felt very small while drawing it and didn’t quite know how to begin translating something so impressive into my sketchbook. I just began tracing the twists of the trunk and the flow of the branches, and the awe subsided a little as I settled into looking. Those first sketches are rarely satisfying drawings in themselves, more records of a moment of meeting. This was a meeting to remember.

a sketch of a tree

I’ve been here drawing trees as part of my preparation for the Marchmont commission. I’ll be adding more blog posts on the project as it progresses – if you’d like to read more start here.

 

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Reflections on The Old Lock Up residency

Old Lock Up Gallery residency interior Tansy Lee MoirI spent the first week in May on a residency at The Old Lock Up Gallery in my native Derbyshire. I moved to Scotland almost 30 years ago but still feel a pull to the trees and rocks of my childhood landscapes. It was good to be back.

drawing of an ancient oak in charcoal

Oak trees in charcoal

Before I travelled to Cromford, I gave myself a particular focus for the work and some practical constraints. I’ve learned that I’m most productive and creative when

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Spring exhibition news

an oil painting of an ancient beech tree
‘Roots reflected’ Oil on wood panel

Two of my oil paintings will be featuring in The Old Lock Up Gallery Open Exhibition opening 14th May and running until 10th June. I was very pleased to be selected to show in this beautiful gallery space along with 31 other artists – I’m looking forward to seeing all the works chosen by gallerist Rachael Pinks.

oil painting of an ancient tree
‘In Place’ Oil on wood panel

See here for a full list of artists, venue and show details.

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Women talking trees

What happens when two ‘tree women’ get together? This conversation!

Cheryl Duerden is a forester and ancient tree champion who runs a blog and Instagram account for people who work with, protect, love and learn about trees. I was delighted that she invited me to be interviewed for her ‘Talking Giants’ series last month as she was particularly keen to have a female interviewee for the International Women’s day edition.

We had such a warm and interesting conversation, ranging around how my artwork has grown and been influenced by my subject to some more philosophical musings on our relationships with trees.

You can watch it here and have a peek at my tidied up studio in the background.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Cheryl Duerden (@inalandofgiants.blog)

Thanks to Cheryl for the opportunity to share my art and for being a great host. She’s had lots of other interesting guests too – look for her ‘Talking Giants’ posts and immerse yourself in some tree talk.

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Residency at The Old Lock Up Gallery

I’ll be on the road south to Cromford soon for a short artist residency at The Old Lock Up Gallery.

The Old Lock Up Gallery Cromford Derbyshire

My earliest plein air drawing experiences were of waterfalls and tree roots intertwined with Matlock gritstone outcrops. Rocks, tree and water featured in my art from very early on. Having lived in Scotland for more than half my life now,

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Meeting the Chatsworth oaks

A visual story of my spring research trip to the old oaks of Chatsworth House in Derbyshire…

very large oak tree with a charcoal drawing of it on an easelI grew up in nearby Matlock and know the estate quite well, but only recently discovered the former hunting park there with its large collection of ancient trees. This is probably one of the biggest, which I decided to try to tackle on my first day there.

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