Original artwork description:

I like the idea of working with slate because of the age and nature of the material. Millions of years ago, movement of the Earth's crust, retreating seas and glaciation pushed mineral deposits collected on ancient sea beds to the Earth's surface where they were eventually quarried by man to provide shelter from the winds and rain.

The slate I use has served this purpose and is eroded and marked by exposure to the elements as well as by man-made pollutants in the atmosphere. I am interested in the journey from the seabed to the quarry, the quarry to the rooftop and the rooftop to the artwork.

In ‘Passage 1’, I have selected 3 broken discarded slates, all washed clean from the grime collected over the years to reveal the natural texture and colouring. I have further chipped edges off to reveal slivers of the lighter grey beneath the weathered surface. A circle, a universal shape at the heart of our relationship to the world, has been scratched into the surface with a sharp point and the finished piece has a contemplative feel about time, space and distance.

The work is varnished to bring out the texture and then finished with a thin black wood edging, ready to hang. 49x95x2cm

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