I love the simplicity and the immediacy of drawing, and the way that I can get lost in it. I came back to it after many years devoted instead to sewing and the needle arts. I had reached a point where I found that I was creating, and yet I wanted to express myself more creatively. I began to draw again, thinking it would lead to the fiber art I wanted to do, but was surprised to discover that actually, drawing was it—drawing was the art I wanted to do. When I began plein air landscapes and nature studies, and then started to experiment with charcoal on wood panels (an idea I’ve enjoyed finding my own processes for), I knew I had found the best way to really nurture my love of textures, patterns and detail. I also had found an approach to the landscapes that had become so dear to me, and to expressing not just the serene beauty of them, but also the tangled wildness, the complexity, and the mystery.

I refer to my drawings as naturescapes, rather than landscapes. My subjects are not so much the distant, grand, idealized scenery of traditional landscape art, perhaps, as they are of the real ‘nitty-gritty’ of the natural world. I’m happy to include all the little twigs and pebbles, weeds and bramble—all the pieces that contribute to a scene that I find interesting or beautiful in it’s own way. I think the natural look of charcoal is perfect for this, as is the texture and grain patterns of the wood that I draw on.