back to blogBoundaries is the result of two years of artistic exploration into the physical and historic borders of the North York Moors National Park.
Wetlands, riggs, ancient pathways and holloways divide and shape the moorland, creating a landscape that is both diverse and layered. Accompanied by poetry from Nick Allen, my paintings draw attention to features that often go unnoticed, uncovering the subtle marks of human presence and natural change across the land.
“In the North York Moors, moorland boundaries trace the historic landscape of the people who have used this space for millennia. Dry-stone walls, weathered earthworks and eroded holloways show how the land was divided, traversed and worked. Today these boundaries remain visible to those who know where to look, offering glimpses into a complex web of history across this vast space.”
— Jacob, Conservation Officer
The wetlands shall rise again
The centrepiece of the exhibition, this 122 x 122 cm work on deep cradled board was inspired by a circular walk over Danby Rigg, down into Little Fryup, and back up to Danby Beacon. It was a day of shifting weather—torrential rain followed suddenly by bursts of bright sky. Water streamed off the recently burnt-back moorland, unable to soak into the ground, turning paths into flowing channels.
This painting marks a slight departure for me, leaning more towards representation of the landscape. I wanted to capture the drama of that day, choosing a palette dominated by blue hues to reflect the surge of water cascading from the moors.
Burn back
65 x 65 cm, oils and gold leaf framed in a simple white tray frame.
Mist cloaks the moorlands with its hazy tendrils, wisps of smoke twist and curl. A faint smoky scent lingers - reminiscent of nights spent nestled beside an open fire. The time has come again for the heather burn back, initiating its destructive cycle - wreaking havoc on both the environment and its inhabitants.
An expanse of unmanaged time
80 x 80 cm, oil and gold leaf on a deep cradled board. This painting evokes the moorland under fog, where boundary stones and waymarkers emerge from the mist. These ancient markers have guided travellers across the moors for centuries, offering direction through a timeless landscape.
Hol weg
80 x 80 cm, oil and gold leaf on a deep cradled board. Deep incisions scratched into the surface of the painting reveal earlier layers, echoing the hol wegs or holloways found across moorland landscapes. A holloway is a sunken path, worn into the earth over centuries by the repeated passage of travellers, livestock, and carts. Some are still in use, while others have fallen quiet, visible only when you learn to recognise their etched lines in the land—traces of journeys that shaped the terrain.
Drifting on the wind
55 x 55 cm, oils and gold leaf framed in a simple white tray frame. Drifting on the wind captures the season’s shifting light and airy vitality—an invitation to pause and feel the rhythm of the wind and the brilliance of change.
Our breath lies quiet before us
80 x 80 cm, oil on a deep cradled board that captures the layered landscape of the North York Moors, where ancient field systems nestle within expanses of heathered moorland. Shifting light moves across the scene, momentarily illuminating the fields below and tracing the subtle dialogue between land and sky.
Across ghosts of mountains past
36 x 41 cm oil and gold leaf framed in a hand painted St Ives style frame.
Holloway I, II and III
46 x 46 cm (each) oil and gold leaf framed in a hand painted St Ives style frame.
Beacon
36 x 41 cm oil and gold leaf framed in a hand painted St Ives style frame.
Small works
This collection of over 100 smaller works experiments with oils, cold wax, and embedded materials such as pigments and marble dust to build richly layered, tactile surfaces. My process is intuitive, allowing colour, texture and mark-making to emerge without a fixed plan. Paint drips, solvent marks and incidental textures become the foundation of each composition, echoing the unpredictable forces that shape the land itself.
Just as the moorland carries the imprint of centuries of human activity and natural processes, these paintings bear traces of change and chance. Burn-back scars, ancient pathways, patchworked intakes and river-carved valleys all find abstract expression within the work. Through this series, I aim to celebrate the rich, intricate patterns that define the boundaries of the moorland landscape.
Here are some example collections of the small works.
A moor is not a mountain collection
This collection comprises sixteen small paintings, each measuring 19 x 24 cm and presented in hand-painted frames. Together, they form an intimate series that reflects the subtle character and layered textures of the moorland landscape.
From nothing to nothing in silence collection
A reminder of the farmed valleys, where soft pea-greens rise into bracken-covered moorland. Boundary lines crisscross the landscape—stone walls, tracks, and ancient holloways marking centuries of human presence.
Comprising sixteen small paintings, each 19 x 24 cm and set in hand-painted frames, the series offers an intimate reflection on the moorland’s quiet beauty, its layered textures, and the subtle marks that define its character.
The exhibition opens on Saturday 6 September and runs until Sunday 12 October at the Inspired by... gallery, Danby Lodge, North York Moors.
For any queries please contact Rhian the gallery curator.
