Original artwork description:

Slate is of sedimentary origin, formed from the deposits of minerals collected on the beds of ancient seas millions of years ago and forced to the surface by the movement of the Earth's crust, retreating seas and glaciation. Eventually it was quarried by man to provide shelter from the elements and became eroded and marked by this exposure and also by man-made pollutants in the atmosphere.

I like the idea of working with slate because of the age and nature of the material. I am interested in the journey from the seabed to the quarry, from the quarry to the rooftop, and from the rooftop to the artwork.

In ‘Reach 1’, I have taken a single discarded slate, washed away the grime collected over the years to reveal its natural texture and colouring. I have then scratched a circle, a universal shape at the heart of our relationship to the world, into the surface with a sharp point. The collaged image of an outstretched human arm at the base of the work connects time present to a deep past.

The work is then glazed and framed with a plain 3 cm flat white wooden surround and ready to hang. 47x61x2cm

Materials used:

Recycled roof slate

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