Holloway Etchings: Let the Shadows Slip Away & May the Path Rise Up
By Wendy Rhodes
Etchings
Limited edition prints - edition of 10
Charbonnel ink on Somerset satin paper
Framed
Framed sizes:
Let the Shadows Slip Away - H: 80cm x W: 56cm - £425May the Path Rise Up to Meet You - H: 80cm x W: 56cm - £425
These are two of the new, summer 2023 etchings by Wendy.
Wendy works with a monochromatic palette in order to focus attention onto surfaces, structural elements and light. She is drawn to hidden-away rural locations where nature is taking back control of human interventions in the landscape. Her old cart tracks, like these, and broken pathways convey a sense of ancient history and transformational weathering over time.
The qualities within the materials that she uses and their potential for mark making are important motivating factors. The sheer range and beauty of the marks she makes need to be seen in the gallery - you just can't appreciate them fully online.
Her copper plate etchings enable her to exploit a rich visual language of texture, line and marks and are created using traditional intaglio methods. Most importantly, etching offers her the ability to build layers into her image making, representing an over-layering of time and weathering that is inherent to the places she depicts.
The etching plates are finished with a little aquatint for definition and atmospheric perspective. These artworks perfectly demonstrate how black and white work can excel at creating mood and contours in an intensely-observed micro landscape.
ABOUT WENDY RHODES
Wendy is a South Cotswold-based artist whose drawing and printmaking reflect her experiences of walking through rural countryside, along coastlines and becoming immersed in place.
"The rural countryside is an imperfect vision of a natural environment that has been shaped by human intervention. Paths are chewed and indented by farm machinery, hedges are cut and fences repaired. Nature does its best to wrench back control; rain washes paths to new shapes, fence posts lean to their own tune and these are the moments that I find fascinating."
Every piece she creates begins with drawing, exploring the structures and textures of footpaths, bridleways and beaches; tracking seasonal and environmental changes. Her approach is informed by writers and artists such as Tim Ingold and John Virtue, both of whom have experiential practices; exploring walking and wayfaring. A similarly immersive approach enables her to document place in a diarist’s format, drawing attention to details, memories and glimpses that build to a whole.
Wendy's background is in teaching and she remains an art tutor to this day. She was Head of Art for 16 years at the acclaimed Katharine Lady Berkeley's School (KLB) in Gloucestershire.