Roots
Multiblock Linocut
Edition of 20
Oil based ink on Japanese Hosho paper
In memoriam to the tree felled at Sycamore Gap, Northumberland in September 2023. Roots began life as a commission for publisher HarperNorth’s book ‘On Sycamore Gap’ written by poet Kate Fox. The tree at Sycamore Gap acted as a beacon for so many people, and reading their memories of special moments shared, experienced and connected with the tree was the starting point for all of the prints in this series. I used to live a stone’s throw from the tree myself so I have seen it in all weathers and at all times of day and night. The clean air and open landscape there meant that the skies held huge importance to anyone visiting the tree. I used multiple blocks to depict both the ‘ghost’ of the once-living tree, and the stump now left behind. The tree may be felled, but its roots still burrow deep within the bones of the land.
In memoriam to the tree felled at Sycamore Gap, Northumberland in September 2023. Roots began life as a commission for HarperNorth’s publication ‘On Sycamore Gap’ written by poet Kate Fox. The challenge with this one was to try and capture the living tree the world knew and loved, and the shadow of absence left behind by its felling. In printing this block as multiple layers of varying depth and density my aim was to create a ghost tree with a physical stump, still firmly rooted in the ground.