Earlier this year, printmaker Stewart Taylor worked on a mixed-media print, The Old Man of Calke. The piece is inspired by the incredible photography of Andy Doughty and showcases the timeless beauty of the 1000-year-old Oak tree located in the Calke Abbey estate, Derbyshire (one of the oldest Oak trees in the UK).
Stewart has recently been pushing his medium as far as possible by using composite gelli prints on a large scale, mixing media (brush, pen, and ink), and employing hand-cut stencils and masking fluid. This more liberal approach has resulted in a more broad and interesting range of marks and lines.
In The Old Man of Calke, Stewart worked from a black and white photograph, thus to keep the atmosphere of the original photo he used a monochrome palette. This gives the piece a real presence and sense of place. He has also added metallic gold into its hollow trunk to emphasise how precious and species rich these giants are.
Early on in the process of making the piece, Stewart decided that it would be great for it culminate in a fundraiser. Therefore, he has collaborated with The Woodland Trust on a fundraiser. He has created an open edition of high-quality A3 inkjet prints on 230GSM Archival Marrutt Matt paper from the original print. Anyone donating £50 [+ £10 P&P] here to the Woodland Trust will receive one of these prints, signed and numbered by Stewart. For those with smaller budgets, there will also be a prize draw. The Prize Draw will close at midnight, Saturday 9th December, and the winner, chosen at random, will be announced on Sunday 10th December. Anyone who wants to donate a Minimum of £5 will go into this draw to win the first print of the edition. All of the proceeds will be donated towards the Woodland Trust’s Living Legends campaign to give more protection to our veteran trees.
Right now, most ancient trees have no real legal protection in the UK, and many face a range of threats. In the last 150 years, 50% of large trees have been lost from parts of Eastern England. Three quarters of ancient trees are found outside of legally protected wildlife sites. Local communities across the UK are having to take drastic measures to save important trees in their communities, but not every campaign succeeds. These national treasures should be here to stay. They deserve the same sort of protection enjoyed by old buildings, beloved national recipes, and other endangered wildlife – some of which can’t survive without ancient trees.
Support the fundraiser and bag your print here.
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www.stewarttaylorprints.com
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