Helen Elizabeth Kuumbi |Artist| Cornwall
Through the Trees
About five years ago I started drawing tree portraits, I was fascinated by the our ancient and veteran trees and the special micro ecosystems that a tree can support. I used the ancient tree register and their mapping of ancient trees to discover individual trees to visit and sketch. These survivors within the landscape, witnesses to centuries of change and islands of rich ecology. Their history of growth and reaction is written in their grain.
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I didn’t want to just draw trees, but to plant them. So I got in touch with a local community woodland and started volunteering. I realised there was so much more to be done then planting trees; protecting, conserving and managing the woodland to build its resilience for the future.
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I spent more and more time working in the woods; my little art project became multi-dimensional and immersive. I have since completed a course in forestry and feel I have only just scratched the surface in understanding the multi-faceted aspects of the woodland.
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To find out more about the woodland project I am involved in visit: Pigshill and Clarrick Woods
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From ancient trees to ancient woodlands. Ancient woodlands are the remnants of primary woodlands, surviving pockets in a landscape converted to agriculture millennia ago, usually on steep hillsides and on terrain where farming was not viable. They are the last vestiges of specialist woodland communities that cannot survive outside the unique environment provided by the woodlands. The woodland is far more than the trees; it is a complex interaction of all species within.
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Below our feet; it is the invisible components of the ancient woodland that make it irreplaceable. The soils have taken centuries to develop and have been protected from the disturbance of the plough. The structure of the soil, the soil communities of micro-fauna, mycorrhizae and bacteria that are key to the rich nutrient cycling and the health of the woodlands above.
Oil paintings in 'Through the trees' collection
To view as grid gallery click here
The woodland is layered; from the canopy trees to the stratified soil. The paint of my canvas is layered and exposed; forms and shaped emerge from the initial washes, drips grow into trees.
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In this series, I wanted to subvert the idea of the freedom of the open landscape. The dark vertical stems of the trees evoke notions of bars and oppression. I painted from the perspective of the woods themselves. They gaze out over the human-altered landscape where they have been denied, relegated to the steep hillside but ready to march and recolonise.
A collection of sketches
Inks from the wood
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As part of my exploration of the wood I looked at how I could use the resources in my artwork. I experimented with making my own ink from components in the leaf litter; nuts, bark, twigs and wasp galls.
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The process is simple but takes some time. First I forage for materials and these are soaked for a couple weeks so that the pigments leach out into solution. The mixture is then sieved and simmered down to increase its concentration. Modifiers such as white vinegar and bi-carbonate can be used to alter the pH and colour.
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The main colour comes from the bark tannins, but each species gives a unique hue.
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I shared my inks and techniques with others in the woods as open air workshops.
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Paintings in this collection
Purple Beech, Yellow Sun. Mixed media with oak wood frame, 51x41cm £250
Sweeping Blue, Mixed media with oak wood frame, 50x40cm £240
Across the Land, mixed media, ash trees above Rame Peninsula, 50x40cm £250
Ash trees above Foss, oil on canvas 30.5x40.5cm £140
Ash trees and Millbrook Lake 30.5x40.5 cm - SOLD
Fireblaze (1) Hazy view over Millbrook through the trees, 51x41cm - currently not for sale, register interest
Fireblaze (2) Bright view over Millbrook through the Trees 51x41cm - currently not for sale, register interest
Shadowlands, beech trees and woodland shadow, 50x40cm SOLD
Ancient Oak (1) Oil on canvas, 30x20cm - SOLD
Ancient oak (2) OIl on canvas 30x20cm - SOLD
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