Some Moles

I like moles. They are yet another addition to my list of the much maligned creatures, who I feel are unjustly disliked for some bizarre reason or another. Eels, snakes, insects, frogs, nightjars are not high on natures beauty parade, are they?

My great delight in moles though is their subversive, subterranean activities which signal a bold two finger gesture to those nice green lawns and the dreadful golf courses. Go moles!

I was prompted to make this print after seeing a poor little dead mole by the roadside. I cant quite remember why I didn’t pick it up but I think it had something to do with not having anything to put it in, except my very small shoulder bag. I am such a lightweight. I should have just walked on with the mole draped over my shoulder or dangling from my belt. I may have also hesitated because I know that mole fleas are BIG. Still it’s no excuse for being so faint hearted.

Anyway mole sketches and a small print have followed, to get me back into printmaking and the blogs too.

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Sketchbook pages A5

 

First proofs of pale grey and darker grey plates

First reasonable print.. my registration is getting better…2 colour lino 4 x 6

More mole stuff to come …

Buttercups and butterflies

At last, the end of the academic year for both of us so now to get back to the much missed diary of the Jubilee Wood.  Most days I've been able to walk around the wood and even though it has seemed so cold because of the winds we've been having, the young trees in the wood are looking great.

The wild flowers are at their best, with vetch, orchids and buttercups weaving through the grass and making it sparkle  with their purple, pinks and yellows and in this recent warm weather even the butterflies have been in search of nectar.

Buttercups in Jubilee Wood

 

I made a quick sketch to try and capture the feel of the moment

 

 

More work to be done on it but its a reference and even if I don't use it later for a print or picture, it  really helps me to remember  all of the sensations  of the moment - the warmth, the colours, the sounds of the birds and the peace of the place.

 

To help us create a more three dimensional memory of the wood through the seasons, we've decided to make some 'creative' pieces from items we find there. My first piece was inspired when I saw some of the thin, wispy blackthorn branches left over from some maintenance work which had been done by valiant volunteers during the winter. Once I started bending them they appeared  to me to have spines like some treacherous deep sea fish that you just wouldn't want to meet....... 

 

 

So here's my flying thorn fish which has come up from the deep to see what Gidding  Jubilee Wood is all about!.......