Why a fence?

I’ve decided to continue with the theme of fences only instead of saying because of a fence I’m asking why a fence. To do this I have to start by asking what a fence is. At its most basic a fence is a barrier so can be anything from a ditch to a line on a map. It prevents egress and disconnects us from nature. How can we learn to protect nature if we are prevented from accessing it. We need to roam, to walk off the beaten path. As a child my friends and myself would run and play in the fields and in the brook, we would make dams and channel water in the brook, make dens in the hedges, children have lost this delight in nature. Adults need to be able to roam and teach their children to care for nature but first they must learn and the best way to do that is to give and encourage access. It is worrying that many foot paths are not being cared for, they fall into disuse and are lost. We don’t notice they are gone until it is too late. The government has passed a law that will prevent these paths from being reopened.

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I’ve been trying out different chine collis (adding coloured paper) and water colour my next step may be to do both on one print.

I have collected items from under a hedge and pressed them into clay because most bits are man made I have painted them in bright colours.

Starting the second year, I’ve moved on from tiles to create boxes, using the same way of decorating. I made slab boxes once the clay was leather dry and able to hold the form. They were decorated in the same way as the tiles had been.