Wildlife artist Jackie Morris led an art and story workshop on the bank of the River Wye. “All that drawing is about really is looking and looking again” said Morris. Paper and pencil in hand, she encouraged each of the group to take a spot that suited them near the pebble beach at the Warren and turn their focus to whatever felt right.
Morris often uses Japanese Sumi Ink in her work. She took water from the river to demonstrate how the ink, made from pine soot and incense, is made. She likes to use brushes made with woodcock feathers, and today experimented by painting with a duck feather found in the river.
The Lost Words, a spell book, is a collaborative project with nature writer Robert Macfarlane, with her illustrations accompanying Macfarlane’s spells and acrostics. This morning, Morris recited the otter’s spell to try and tempt one to join the session. When none appeared, she drew one instead.
The illustrator has been awarded the 2018 Hay Medal for Illustration and is working in a temporary studio throughout the festival. To see Morris’s work, chat to her and ask questions, pop into the gallery. Works are for sale, from £150 for small prints to £5,000 for large canvases.