Yesterday I went out to the woods to search for rowan trees. You see I've been working on a new collection of candle covers with trees and leaves as inspiration. So far I've made a birch, a hawthorn, a chestnut and an oak but as I'd recently included all of these leaves in my autumn leaf garlands the designs were mostly complete. The looking had already been done. But I needed to have a close look at the rowan.
Hardcastle Crags is only a fifteen minute walk from my house and there's a particular bit of wood I have been trying to get to know better recently (the bit up high to the right of the main track, just after the wishing well). It's mostly beech, oak and scott's pine but I knew I'd seen rowan there, I just couldn't say precisely where.
I had planned to go whatever the weather but I was blessed with a golden morning and it was lighting up the fiery trees so beautifully.
It was peaceful. Just an occasional breeze and some robin song. It's a quiet bit of the woods, you don't often see many people here, compared to the busier tracks that head towards the mill.
I wandered about, enjoying the air, saying hello to the trees that I now recognised after drawing them recently. Drawing is a good way to get to know someone.
I usually go down this path, but today I went up...
and I bumped into rowan.
Oh there you are. I've been looking for you.
I always begin with drawing without looking at the paper. It's a nice way to warm up, but I wanted to take some detailed notes of the berries and how they hang together. My 'red' pencil crayon was not red enough!
I love how the volume of the woods turn up when I settle in to drawing.
robin song
wren
breeze blowing rain drops off the leaves
another robin singing back
distant river below
sound of excited kids, lots of them, uh - oh they are getting closer...
I hadn't expected to see anyone but I think the whole of our local junior school passed by behind me shrieking and chatting and giggling, enjoying their morning out in the forest. They didn't pay much mind to me. I think I blended into the tree.
This tree was heavy with berries and I managed to get the info I needed. Later I'd use the photos and drawings and my experience of seeing it's 'rowan-ness' to create a design.
Here's the little voice that was cheering me on.
I thanked the tree and the robin and went on my way.
Heading home I came upon this golden beauty. Not very tall and no berries at all but full of beauty. Despite it being shaded by many tall trees it was having no problem soaking up the LIGHT.
The light was passing through the leaves and lighting up all their details; the dots, the veins, the holes, the nibbles, just like I hoped it would when I made my candle cover.
Back in the studio I set to work, making digital drawings from my notes and photos to send to the laser cutter.
I asked the laser cutter to deeply engrave the paper to let as much light shine through it as possible. For the last few weeks I've been experimenting with how far I can push the paper before it breaks through.
Here they are on the light box. I think I have found my perfect setting.
After lots of experimenting and some huffing and puffing (it can be fiddly work) I arrived at my rowan design.
It's sitting up on the mantelpiece flickering away cosily as I write. This design will always take me back to a beautifully golden autumnal morning in the woods. I hope it might take you there too.
It's on my website now. The other leaf designs will follow soon. I'm also dreaming up a lamp design too. Lots of leaves, lots of berries. Watch this space.