Monday, August 17, 2009

Amanda Wallwork

Lost Ways was the title of Amanda Wallwork's exhibition at the Belgrave Gallery in St Ives.
Worked in oil, graphite and plaster on board. The surfaces had been scratched back and eroded to show hidden layers that are reminiscent of the geological processes that reveal the hidden layers of archaeology. Based on the surrounding area which is full of pre-historic settlements and trackways her work captures the essence of long forgotten tracks and meeting places.
Stone Map (above) references the many burial cairns and standing stones that are found in the Penwith area.
Boundary Path (right) has echoes of the many ancient trackways that are still in use today. Open and exposed on the high moorland but at lower levels sheltered by stone field walls that date back to the Bronze Age.
Tinners Cross (left) is a particularly beautiful piece that benefits from being given a generous amount of time to contemplate. As you move around the piece different layers catch the light and the mood shift. Tin has been worked in the area since the before the Bronze Age and exported all over the world. The Tinners Way is a footpath that works its way along the spine of the peninsular, keeping mainly to the high ground, towards the old ports in Mounts Bay on the south coast.
Lonely and windswept, shrouded in swirling mists or scorched black by the heat of a moorland wildfire - Amanda has captured these places in all their rawness.

No comments: