I don’t know about you but I’ve always been scared of even the idea of using a blowtorch. They seem so horrifically hot and unforgiving if you make even a slight mistake. We did get a culinary one for caramelising the sugar on Crème Brûlée at home but I always chickened out.
Well this week the moment of reckoning arrived, and all because I thought we should discover if you can create red pigment from locally foraged yellow earth pigment by the application of high heat, just like the commercial artist paint makers do when changing Raw Sienna to Burnt Sienna, for example.
To get enough heat quickly and easily in my studio it was the kitchen blowtorch or nothing. This is my highly low-tech tin foil ‘oven’ with the yellow ochre in the line of fire. So what happened next?
The truth is, there were no charred limbs, blackened digits or visits to hospital! Using the torch is nothing like I imagined, you just need to concentrate and be sensible. It was almost fun! (I can hear my silversmith friend laughing at me as she uses an industrial blowtorch most days).
The yellow ochre pigment did not turn red like I wanted but it did transform to a soft brown colour as you can see.
The lack of red is to do with the mineral content of the earth I foraged so my search for a local reddish pigment continues. I’m glad about overcoming the blowtorch fear though and am now thinking about how I can introduce torch charred wood into my artistic process!
A Sad Tale Of Destruction in Jumble Hole Clough
Narrow valleys here in Calderdale are known as cloughs or holes. Two favourite place names are Hermit Hole and Jumble Hole Clough.
Jumble Hole Clough - the name says it all. It's a wonderfully leafy and rocky ravine with a fast flowing stream. The air of mystery is always enhanced by the evocative ruins of Staups mill, a picturesque echo of previous industry in this now peaceful place. The main feature being an almost free-standing gable end with two stories of empty windows.
For decades I've loved walking up the Clough to view the ruin in every season and to take in the very special atmosphere.
But not any more. I had heard the rumours, yet still hoped they were wrong. My long walk this week revealed the worst. Under the guise of safety concerns the owners of the land have destroyed everything leaving a pile of stone to be sold and a hideous fence with nasty signs.
Oh the sadness I feel about it! A little piece of magic has disappeared from this world. The ruins will long live on in my imagination and I will visit in my dreams.
I still have available one artwork inspired by the ruins. Created a while back when I made customised printed dioramas in wooden boxes. Fitted within an old drawer painted olive green with an ornate handle, this one's quite small, the pencil is there to show the scale. Photographed in my studio this week. My big fern came in handy as a prop!
I keep a similar version of this work myself at home and love how it looks in my restful guest room surrounded by plants. Visitors often comment on it and ask about the story.
Dimensions of the drawer are: width 14 cm, height 25 cm, depth 6.5 cm
or width 5.5 inches, height 10 inches, depth 2.5 inches. The contents are woodcuts printed on acid free card, hand cut and coloured, secured in place with hidden conservation tape.
I make it easy and simple to purchase art from me. If you would like this little diorama to become part of your story it is £125 plus postage.
Tracked Royal Mail shipping is free for my UK buyers, £25 to Europe and £30 to USA, Canada,Australia and New Zealand.
Payment is via Stripe, a safe and secure payment platform. Delivery and Returns information can be found in the footer of every page on my website. Items are shipped within a few days of payment
Email me on angie@angierogers.com for more photos, information and instructions for purchasing.
