The Royal Forest of Dean and the Wye Valley

I’ve spoken about the Forest of Dean before, it’s a place that has captured my heart so vividly and inspired so many of my drawings that I find it’s quite often in my thoughts. This November I was able to take a last minute trip to the Forest of Dean with my little family, a Monday to Friday break staying in a cabin on the very site that my parents used to take me to on weekend caravan holidays.

As is always the case whether it be a whistle stop day trip or a longer stay I inevitably take hundreds of photographs, the golden hues of the forest in autumn sing to me like silver does to a magpie. The smell of coal smoke is intoxicating, the familiarity of the woodland trails feels comforting, despite the labyrinthine pathways it feels impossible to get lost in certain places, the route is well worn in my memory.

We started the holiday with a trip to Puzzlewood, somewhere that I don’t recall from childhood. It’s been on my list of places to see for years but there never seems enough time or schedules don’t align with when we’re in the vicinity. We hotfooted from home in Hampshire to Puzzlewood in time for our 11am arrival slot. My in-laws had arrived in the forest the day before and met us at Puzzlewood. We walked into the ancient wood and were immediately surrounded by mossy green rocks, twisty branches and tree roots, fungi of all shapes and sizes and slippery steps leading to rustic bridges over crevasses. Climbing and descending the steps was a slow and considered affair, I felt a little like Bambi on ice at some points as the slippery damp stone steps meant clinging on to whatever you could to keep your legs from giving way.

It is said that JRR Tolkien visited this very wood and was inspired so much that he used elements from what he’d seen in his fantasy books, I can see perfectly well why. It feels as though suddenly the trees might come to life, so characterful and warped are they. Fairies could easily be hiding in the nooks and crannies between rocks and branches, moss providing a comfortable seat to rest. Magical is a word I often overuse when it comes to woodland but it certainly does suit Puzzlewood. The maze-like paths twist and turn, meander up and down over bridges and by caves until you reach a little gate, signalling the end and a return to the Muggle world (yes, supposedly JK Rowling who grew up close to the Forest of Dean also visited Puzzlewood and was inspired by it when writing The Forbidden Forest in the Harry Potter series).

After a turn chasing my son around the willow maze which reminded me of the final episode of True Detective season one (niche reference) we drove to Cannop ponds and walked around the lakes.

The next day we drove to Symonds Yat Rock in the Wye Valley. My memories of Symonds Yat from childhood are a little warped, kind of strange and dream-like. There are rosy toned photographs of a four or five year old me, sat in a canoe with my older half brother sat behind me on the River Wye, bright pink flowers next to the mooring posts by The Saracens Head. Remembering walking from the rock to the river, being encouraged to take shortcuts down steep muddy banks by my dad which resulted in slipping and being stabbed in the leg by a splintered branch. Feeling like where we parked the car at Symonds Yat Rock and where The Saracens Head were were two completely different places, not related at all, a million miles apart. It’s strange how you can mis-remember a place and how funny thoughts from being young stay with you, now whenever I think of Symonds Yat and whenever I visit it I can’t help but think of those hazy muddled memories. We took a walk to the viewpoint and ate our lunch on the stone steps, we then did the Symonds Yat Rock loop walk which dips down into the valley slightly and then back up again. Once back at the carpark which is actually quite picturesque in the autumn we played in the dried leaves.

On the third day we walked in Nagshead Nature Reserve, just across the road from our cabin. It was a drizzly day, rain in autumn just seems to intensify the colours of the turning leaves. Mist hung in the air slightly giving the forest an atmosphere, mysterious and a little foreboding. We were just about the only people on the trail, worn out from carrying our little one and in awe of the beauty of the golden forest. I always think of Nagshead as being one of the most beautiful parts of the Forest of Dean, the colours seem almost surreal. After our loop walk we met my in-laws for a delicious pub lunch in Alvington.

On our final day we all met at the Sculpture Trail at Beechenhurst Lodge for a walk taking in all 16 of the sculptures, although annoyingly we did manage to overlook one. The Sculpture Trail sits steadfast in my memory. A place of wonder where I can round a corner and come face to face with a tree that I’ve lovingly observed or a landscape of pathways that I’ve painstakingly recreated in pen. It’s the one place that we always revisit whenever we come to the forest.

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A Note On Inspiration

Walking along a sun dappled pathway, through a wood where the trees aren’t so dense that the forest feels foreboding and yet plentiful so they screen any signs of road, houses, other people. Walking boots that feel clumsily big, occasionally catching tree roots. Air that feels clean to breathe, fresh. Silence except for chirruping birds, wind dancing through leaves, my footsteps. Eyes darting from tree to tree, branch to branch, leaf to leaf. Constantly framing views, the way the path curls slightly to the right, the twisting branch to the left, the patch of bright green ferns. Fallen leaves, twigs, pebbles. A moss covered tree stump.

Woodland Study V

Mottisfont in July

My biggest inspiration, the forest and all it entails. As I walk through a forest or a wood of some kind I’m constantly in search of my next drawing subject. Even if I’m not actively seeking inspiration it seeps in, a gentle stroll becomes a research mission, always. I’ve loved the countryside and in particular woods for as long as I can remember. I’ve written before about how childhood trips in a caravan to the Forest of Dean instilled in me a love for the outdoors. I’ve been drawing and painting landscapes since studying Fine Art at BA level, nearly 10 years since graduating and I’m still not done with the subject. While studying a Fine Art MA my practice evolved from pencil drawings to tight slightly abstracted pen drawings to large scale loose chalk on blackboard drawings of forest views.

Pathway III

Since graduating with an MA in Fine Art I’ve continued to draw, and draw, and draw. I’ve gone back to fine liners, they feel most comfortable for me. The drawings are not totally representational, they aren’t abstract either. In my mind I’m creating a kind of impression of a landscape, attempting to capture the light and the detail. Building an image through repetitive mark making that allows my mind to wander back to where I was when I took the photograph that I use to aid composition. Some of the drawings work well, in my mind they almost shimmer, like when you’re looking up to the tree tops and the light dapples through. Some drawings don’t work as well and feel flat and lifeless, full of detail but missing something.

Woodland Study IV

Late Afternoon in Micheldever Wood

If I can’t get to a wood or if I’m in need of an inspiration fix from home then I have a small collection of art books to see me through. Most focus on Impressionists and painters of landscapes. Favourite artists include Monet, David Hockney, Peter Doig and Tracey Emin (the catalogue from her solo exhibition at The White Cube titled The Last Great Adventure Is You is a favourite to peruse). I like painterly paintings. Expressive brush strokes, colours that reflect what you see in nature. Beautiful lines made by a fine brush, paint drips. The art I like is nothing like the art I produce, I’ve often wondered about that.

Other Things That Inspire Me:

Postcards, interesting stamps, maps, black and white photography, collections of things in glass cases, walled gardens, Chinese ink paintings, rows of oil paint tubes arranged in rainbow order, old sketchbooks.

What inspires you?

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The Arborealists and Guests: The Art of the Tree

Woodland Study VI, pen on paper by Claire Leach

The Arborealists are an artist group founded by artist and curator Tim Craven in 2013. Tim’s intention was to bring together artists who used trees and woodland/forest landscapes as the particular focus of their practice and create opportunities to exhibit work together. An exhibition of several artists work is sometimes a more interesting prospect than a solo artists exhibition due to the variety in approach and mediums displayed. I’ve been following the work of The Arborealists since around 2014 when I finished my MA. I was introduced to the work of Blaze Cyan, a member of the group through Louise Pallister (a Twitter friend) and met Blaze when I went to London to see Louise and Blaze’s work at their final MA exhibition at City and Guilds.

Installation View of The Art of the Tree

Installation View of the Art of the Tree

In September last year I emailed Tim Craven and expressed interest in the group, Tim was gracious and said that although all the member slots were filled he would keep me in mind for any opportunities where I might be able to exhibit as a guest. In April I received an email from Tim asking if I’d like to exhibit as a guest with the group at The Turbine House which is part of Reading Museum. I agreed wholeheartedly and set to work making a new drawing to exhibit. It wasn’t easy but I managed to fit drawing in around looking after my baby son, who was just over two months when I first started work on my piece ‘Woodland Study VI’.

Above: Alders Reflected in the Dart, graphite on board by Paul Newman | Below: Shadowline 2, pencil on paper by Celia de Serra

June rolled around, I’d finished my drawing and organised framing. I took my piece to the Turbine House where I met Tim and some of the participating artists. The venue itself was full of character, situated on the banks of the River Kennet with river views from each of the square framed windows. I returned to The Turbine House the following evening for the private view, Tim’s curation of the show was wonderful. Large colourful paintings were given plenty of room while smaller more monochromatic works were placed together. It was a joy to see work in person by Paul Newman whom I’ve followed online for some time as well as Buckmaster/French whose work I’d seen at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. A personal favourite was the pencil drawing by Celia de Serra, she captured beautiful light and shadow of a forest trail that mentally transported me to a secluded woodland spot.

Fonthill Beech, etching on paper by Blaze Cyan

Detail of Tangled Bank - Winter Light, acrylic on canvas by David Wiseman

A familiar face at the exhibition was Peter Driver, an artist who I met while studying at Winchester School of Art. Peter had his piece ‘Eleven Of The Seventy-Seven Drawings Made At Two Mile Intervals Walking Between Winchester and Salisbury’ on display.

It was a real thrill to see my piece alongside work by accomplished artists and in such a characterful gallery space too. My thanks go to Tim Craven, The Arborealists and guests and the Reading Tree Wardens who invited The Arborealists to exhibit in Reading and invigilated the exhibition.

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