Sarah Mackenzie
61cm x 91cm
Title Men-an-Tol
Men-an-Tol is a place that holds a strong personal connection to me and a neolithic site that is steeped in folkloric tales surrounding fertility. The artwork represents my journey through pregnancy into early motherhood using Men-an-Tol as a motif.
If you climb through the circular neolithic standing stone, the stone will help with fertility.
Emma Larssen’s playful use of watercolour conveys a sense of other worldly yet familiar forms and colours. These archetypal symbols echo throughout nature and I’m fascinated by how Larsson discovered these in her work through a process of play.
Carefully considered, the colour palette and surfaces in Men-an-Tol create a sense of place. The use of yellow mirrors the lichen found on the surface of the standing stones and the textures made within each print gives a sense of the granite surface. The use of blue represents the ocean which can also be seen from the site. The repetition of the stone motif grounded me and allowed me to relinquish control to the process of printing.
“ Daily sketchbook practice has allowed me to develop a sense of play and experimentation. I have become less concerned with the end product of what I am creating and instead enjoy the journey of creating my final artwork. This has help me begin to develop my own visual language and I can see this continuing in my future practice.”