Loughton Camp is a series of abstract watercolour paintings inspired by the sculptural forms of the pollarded birch trees in Loughton Camp and the surrounding forest.
I walk through the camp every day, and over time, the trees have come to feel like old friends. I’m fascinated by the way their trunks have moulded and fused into one another, forming silhouettes that often no longer resemble trees at all.
I begin each piece by tracing the exact shape of a tree trunk, using it as a starting point. I then pour water into that outline and introduce pigment into the pool. As the water slowly evaporates, it leaves behind intricate patterns in the paint. I’m drawn to the element of chance in this process—it echoes the organic, unpredictable way the trees have grown over time. Waiting for the water to dry demands patience; I can’t rush it, much like the trees themselves, shaped slowly over decades.
By flattening the silhouettes, the paintings draw attention to how the trunks interrupt and block light, turning their forms into quiet studies of time, growth, and transformation.
