A huge beech tree nearby was felled by a recent storm. It smashed down right over the river, Hebden Water, and the old footpath that leads up the valley towards Hardcastle Crags. In the spirit of my renewed passion for drawing with material found on site, I chose a twig from what would have been the topmost branches of that tree to make this ink drawing.
You can see the twig 'pen' resting across the sketchbook. An insignificant little twig that except for a sudden twist of fate would have remained unseen and inaccessible to all but the wild things of the air. It felt unexpectedly gritty with a faint, bitter scent of winter and being springy with a frayed tip made a versatile drawing tool. Having been laid low, it was returned temporarily to the heights, carried up the ridge to make my drawing from above, before descending again for the photographs.
Originally the fallen tree completely blocked the path, then some local authority workmen came and amputated a few large branches but you still had to struggle over the main boughs. Then nothing. Now this silver haired local man has spent days with a hand saw! in an attempt to clear the way. I applaud his community spirit and hope he doesn't do himself an injury.
No comments:
Post a Comment