Angie Rogers Artist

GET INSPIRED

Connecting you to Landscape, Nature and The Wild.

Supernature

Hello friends and Autumnal greetings from Calderdale. I am sending this to you a bit earlier in the month than usual.

There are things in nature that seem almost too bright and extraordinary to be real. When you watch super high definition film of tropical coral reefs on screen for example or hummingbirds feeding on a flower.

That’s how I feel about Fly Agaric toadstools.

They are possibly a bit over exposed, featuring so often as they do in mythology, fairy tales, movies especially Disney films, cartoons and video games etc.

And yet when you come across them unexpectedly on a dull day and they are glowing with a supernatural red brilliance they can still make the woodland seem like the setting for a magical story.

And just now in the upper Calder valley they are popping up all over.

In case you are wondering, the name Fly Agaric comes from the fungi's historical use as an insecticide sprinkled on milk. I don't think I'll be sipping a Fly Agaric milkshake anytime soon.

Tiny Town - Celebrating A Special Place

As most of you know, my little town, Hebden Bridge, is located in South Pennine Yorkshire where valleys are deep and hillsides steep, with rolling moorland above stretching off into the far away.

Last time I shared some glimpses of a new artwork I’ve been working on and asked you to guess what the final result might be. Some of you were quite close but one person seemed to be a mind reader!

And so well done to Janet who wins the small prize I mentioned - a pair of handmade greetings cards I make using off-cuts from original prints that have gone awry in some way but are too nice not to repurpose.

I am excited to show you the new artwork ‘Tiny Town’ which is now released out into the world. It’s my celebration of the place where I live, in miniature form.

The lovely woods surrounding Hebden Bridge make the town a more special place. And so I’ve made this folding paper sculpture that combines townscape and woodland that you can enjoy interacting with.

Free-standing and made from sturdy card there’s no need for any kind of framing. It looks good placed on a shelf, bookcase or console table. You can move the pieces around to find your ideal arrangement of town and trees.

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I’ve had such fun setting up and photographing Tiny Town in different positions, light conditions, and locations in my studio and beyond!

The townscape with its intricate windows and chimneys is laser cut for precision whilst the hand-printed woodlands are cut by hand for a contrasting organic look.

Each piece is signed and numbered on the reverse. A variable edition of only 35, the first 18 are made in this Autumn colourway. The remainder will be two wintery variants which will be released next month.

To see more details or to purchase you can click the button to go to my website shop.

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I’ve also made a post on my Journal/blog with more pictures and thoughts about why I enjoy making art that collectors can handle and interact with. By the way, anyone who purchases my work is a valued art collector as far as I’m concerned.

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Townhouses And Riot Women

If you are watching the new Sally Wainwright series ‘Riot Women’ on BBC, set in Hebden Bridge, there’s a faint chance one of my woodcut prints of the town will be visible in a room setting.

Last year the production team bought a print of ‘Townhouses’ from me to use, maybe, no guarantees. It’s admirable that they supported local artists. Another artist in Linden Mill also had work chosen.

And during filming, some huge lights were installed temporarily on my floor of the mill to illuminate an outdoor, night time scene from the high windows. It was interesting how much kit, effort and time was required for just a few moments of film.

The Book Of Bogs

At last I have my hands on a copy of this great anthology with my Walshaw Dean woodcut on the cover.

It was a great experience going to the book launch in Haworth Brontë Parsonage School Room on a dark stormy evening.

Despite being a book lover I'd never been to a book launch before and didn't know what to expect. The large hall was packed and very lively. 18 of the authors read short excerpts from their contributions to the book.

Thank you to publisher Little Toller Books for choosing my work for the cover and my colleague artist Sheila Tilmouth’s photographs for the end papers.
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Bringing The Outside In

Speaking of the bog and all it’s moss, back in February this year, I showed you a perfect little green moss cushion I found on a path. If you remember, I said I was going to make a very small moss garden.

At the time I imagined that after about 6 months I’d be able to proudly display a photo of some minor marvel of mossy magnificence I’d created.

But the reality is, I was busy. So I put the moss cushion in a little glass ramekin on the shady windowsill and just kept watering it in the hope of maintaining life.

It seems miraculous that it could survive without any food for so long. And now it’s growing out of the container.

For being so tenacious I feel it should be liberated back to the wild instead of struggling on under my lacklustre care. What do you think?

Ripples

For new people here, I call this section Ripples because I like to imagine my thoughts and ideas can act as a pebble gently dropped into your mind pond and any replies are like the ripples returning.

Thanks to lovely supporters Samantha, Janet, Rod, Lyn, Annie, Christine, Kate and Alice who responded to my previous mail-out. It is heartening to know how many of you enjoyed the section about Oak Apples - that was a surprise to me! I appreciate every message no matter how brief or long. And photos of your nature finds are always welcome.

Wishing you happy times in the coming month. Make the most of any good weather and get outside to mingle with all those wonderful colours of the wild whatever part of the world you are in. I hope you all get some moments of Supernature!
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All the best
Angie

PS. The November Get Inspired will now be sent mid month.

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