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.

'Timeline 2' consists of 6 slates, all washed clean from the grime collected over the years to reveal the natural texture and colouring and then arranged horizontally in a landscape format. The single line across the row is scratched across the surfaces of the slates and ‘holds’ them together, taking the eye laterally across the work. Screws fill the original holes from where the tiles were attached to the roof and a blue semi-circle has been added to suggest a moon meaning that the piece can be read as a landscape.

The work is varnished to bring out the texture and then finished with a thin black wood edging, ready to hang. 85x44x2cm

Materials used:

Used roof slate

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