The trail follows six months of research into natural pigments, land custodianship and slow, place-based making. The work shared is a mix of sketchbook work and more developed pieces, supported by a VACMA award.

The exhibition is the result of a VACMA (Visual Art and Craft Maker Award) funded project. Over six months I researched, trained and experimented with natural pigments, developing new works on paper exploring ecological, place-based making and ideas of care and custodianship of land and soil.

This project has allowed me to work slowly and research-led, combining field observation, walking, collecting, drawing and writing. I am interested in how materials carry meaning. My work has been exploring custodianship rather than extraction, so learning more about natural pigments and starting to reduce my material impact was important to me. I recognise that not all my materials are ethical, but I am improving this each year and this project has helped me learn so much more.

Alongside material experimentation, I have developed short, imaginary texts that function as prompts or fragments, reflecting on land custodianship and responsibility. These are displayed throughout the exhibition and are designed to support questioning and consideration of new ways of being, working alongside this forest and surrounding ecosystem.

The artwork in this exhibition has been photographed and printed; originals range in size from 595mm x 420mm to 100mm x 100mm. As this was a research project, I have chosen to share some sketchbook work, work in progress and more developed pieces alongside one another, I feel it's important to share this journey of discovery with you.