Early on, I thought I would be able to carry on as normal creatively, but the motivation was not there. This lasted for a couple of months, and then I felt able to start again. I am so very lucky to have a studio at the end of the garden. When I am in there, I can shut out all that is going on outside. Being able to make and be creative has been essential for me as a coping mechanism against the uncertainties and challenges this year. I am certain that, as we come through the other side of this pandemic, the value of being creative will be at the forefront of our collective and individual healing.
During the first lockdown in spring 2020, many of us became more aware of the natural world. My practice has always been about my connection to nature’s seasonal shifts, and the pandemic has further heightened and reinforced my sustainable approach. My making is slow, seasonal and meditative: the growing and gathering of coppiced material, the weaving of layers, the hand coiling of the clay.
My woven seedpod forms and clay and wood seeds are in essence about latent and potential energy: energy within the soil and earth transformed into seeds and emerging growth. Stems are left exposed, at the same time respecting the character of the material and suggesting both fragility and transience.
