‘Returning to Spring’ - A Stunning Collection of Contemporary Landscape Artworks by Heather Moore
Walking through woodlands and parks can be such a meditative experience, especially when you do it free of technology. You can be on the outskirts of a city and still feel cocooned in nature only a metre or so into the trees. It becomes a multi-sensory experience between the ever changing colours in the wildlife and the skies, the textures of the rough bark and delicate flowers, the smells of blossoms and the sounds of the birds chirping and scurrying.
Spring feels like a time for renewal, growth and coming back to life after a dormant and dark winter. It’s the time when the colour returns to the world and reignites our energy. A little more sunshine makes all the difference to our mood and the new blooms punctuate it with added joy.
I often find myself led by colour and emotion and historically that has attached itself to a definite image that becomes a strategically carved print. With this body of work I want to lean more into a state of flow that came from those joyous walks where calm and energy come together. Each piece started with selecting colours and applying them energetically to the paper, board or canvas. It became an experimental way of working that consumed me and woke up the excitable child within me - almost flinging paint at the surface in broad strokes and allowing the music I listened to to infuse additional movement.
You can see some brushstrokes in the surface of each piece leaving behind a sense of journey much like my footprints when I walk. Once the basis of the colour had been applied, I returned to my sketchbook to examine my mark making - some recognisable trees and plants and others random marks. For years, I have found relaxation in doodling patterns and now felt like an opportunity to weave some of this practice into compositions. You will see spots, crosses and flicked lines among circles, swipes and dabs of gold. I have layered wire, pastels, paint, collaged papers and pen to draw out the emotions I feel and lead your eye around the surface on a scavenger hunt of spring inspired colour and texture.
Some pieces are more abstract than others but they all capture the majesty of the woods bursting back into life - awakening from a deep slumber. You can see how my decisions developed across each piece although I did keep moving between.
At its heart, my work is about finding joy and solace. It's a mixture of a place to rest and somewhere to recharge and dream. Whatever you take away from it, my hope is that it lifts you and brings a smile.
