The Spirit of Trees
This collection was started for an exhibition of work at the Macphail Centre, Ullapool, in December 2014 and entitled "The Spirit of Trees". The theme was inspired by the work of David Young, who lives a few miles inland of Ullapool. He makes beautiful organic furniture out of the ancient and windblown trees from the garden of his house, which is the old manse of Clachan, Lochbroom. The contrast between the textures of the embroideries and the grain and polish of the wood made for a lovely, balanced, exhibition and we both sold many pieces.
This exhibition was such a success that we exhibited together again in December 2015 under the title of "Enchanted Wood" and in December 2016 under the title of "Under the Arbour".
Of course, this theme is one to which I will return again and again, inspired by the myth-laden woods of Perthshire, where I used to live, and by some sites closer to home, such as the arboretum at Leckmelm, the community woodland at Little Assynt and by my own garden, which is full of brave little trees that are making a young wood of themselves. And so, like those trees, this collection of work will continue to grow and grow.
Please click on each image to see the full picture.