Five years or so after the Pill orchard was handed over to the local community in about 2004, a group of committed volunteer enthusiasts (which later became the Friends of Watchhouse Hill) began to organise improvements to the hill area and a reclamation process began on the orchard. Workparties (that are still regular events) vigorously tackled the brambles and the neglected trees were pruned Continue reading
All that back-breaking weeding, arm-aching watering, and knee-bruising picking at the allotment, grubbing around in humid hedgerows, hot hours in the kitchen, followed by jam-jar crises and freezer-space-anxiety, finally has its (not always healthy but thoroughly delicious) rewards; in summer – blackcurrants, gooseberries, elderflowers, redcurrants, jostaberries and raspberries for fruit salads, jams, jellies, syrups, bottling, sorbets and sauces; and now the autumn harvest of apples and blackberries, beans, potatoes and squash (in gloriously varied shapes and colours) for soups and stews, crumbles and cakes, puddings and pickling, dips and drying, stuffing and baking – and making of wine!
Such a delectable array of colours, shapes and textures it seemed worth preserving the produce and process in pictures – and when I start to grumble about the work next year they can serve as a reminder that the effort is worthwhile.
Summer’s soft fruit frenzy
Late summer and autumn pickings
As spring merged into summer this year I found I’d arranged an experimental, and for me, slightly uneasy, alliance between the natural and technical worlds – the outcome is a vernal-themed kind of digital patchwork quilt. Continue reading
Playing with the idea of place portraits – I’ve returned (thanks to stimulus from friends) to an almost abandoned book project in the new year, now (with great sense of satisfaction) completed. It’s a miniature version of the book/artwork you can see here. I like the idea of having something you can carry around in your pocket that could be reminder of Continue reading
Another facet of the continuing Woods project (see two previous related posts here and here): a book created as part of an MA in Fine Art / Photography at the University of Plymouth, completed in September 2007. The notes below provide some context – the title of the project is a multi-layered play on words, explained in the report produced for the MA – you can contact me if you want to know more! Continue reading
In May 2003 North Somerset held its first Arts trail, organised by volunteers and enthusiastically supported by both contributing artists and visitors. Continue reading
This is the largest project I’ve ever done and one that still has a life. There’ll be further posts on other aspects of this project and on recent developments, but this is a record of the process that began with a commitment, to myself, to photograph a particular woodland that hugs the banks of 2 streams near my home, over the course of a year, from 1st January 1999, but eventually included 1st January 2000, hence the title.
The exhibition of The Woods – a Year and a Day, at Ashton Court Visitor Centre, Bristol 2001
Liz Milner 