Yarner Wood - An Exploration Through Paintings

For the past six months I have been visiting and working at Yarner Wood in East Dartmoor. The location reflects the connection of Man with the natural environment via the continued husbandry of the forest and the ruined copper mine workings, still visible through the encroaching foliage.

I discovered Yarner Wood whilst on a guided walk about Eden Philpotts who lived locally and used the locality for the setting for his novel "The Forest On The Hill". On the walk, a stream flowing from the disused copper mine caught my imagination. The water, gushing from deep inside the mine, had created a stream the colour of rust. Yarner Wood had revealed something of its special qualities and several months later I returned to sketch the views over the moor and down the ravine, the trees beginning to bare their branches -the russet beech leaves blanketing the earth. I made a vow to be part of the woodland on a regular basis, recording the changes within the seasonal cycle. The resulting work will form the major part of the forthcoming exhibition at Teignmouth.

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