This is a first design for a number of pieces that I'll be producing for the Slate & Stone exhibition at Oriel Tŷ Meirion in 2022.
I used the Japanese suminagashi technique to produce the strata/contour line shapes as the way ink moves on the surface of the water creates much more realistic patterns. While the idea is loosely based on rock 'nodules' where layers of crystallisation build up, their similarity to the larger scale rock strata and contours are leading me to build up designs that combine elements from all. The similarity to the layout of hillforts or hut circles means I would like also to include some visual reference to artefacts or patterns hinting at human involvement too.
I see these pieces as a metaphor not only for the layers - be they geological or historical - that have gone before, but also the personal layers of defence that we build around the 'gem' of our true self and the journey of discovery we take back through these layers to uncover our treasures.
