Sunday in February pure pigment on paper Philip R. Bennetta, 2021

on a walk down from the moor, where trees hold up the sky

These mixed media works are inspired by living and working in a region of outstanding natural beauty and dark skies. For me, they hold a sense of the moor; silent, atmospheric, an emptiness where everything exists…

I am including this series of studies, together with several short films and poetry-music publications, as individual works which contribute to a body of work in 2020 -21.

VIRAL – Journal of a Plague Year by poet Michael Curtis is now published and is our latest in the series:

The Pamphlet Poets Series is an imprint of Community of Poets & Artists Press and features hand sewn collections, in the pamphlet style of the 1920’s and 1930’s, by contemporary poets. Some of these unique publications also include original artwork. We published the first pamphlet of the series in 1997 and our most recent in 2021. Here is the full list, with the earliest in the series first:

Louvre Imperial, by W. H. Petty (ISBN 0 9523546 6)

Under the Skin by Narissa Knights (ISBN 0 9523546 7 5)

To be continued… by Philip Bennetta (ISBN 0 9523546 5 9)

Looking for gods by Dawn Gorman (ISBN 0 9523546 9 1)

Going not Gentle by Jean Sealey (ISBN 1-902529-05-07)

Spontaneous Overflow by Stella Jackson (ISBN 1-902529-07-3)

Interpretations of History by W.H. Petty (ISBN 1-902529-09-X)

Bus Dreams by William Hazell (ISBN 1-902529-01-4)

Standing Stone by Natasha Carthew (ISBN 1-902529-02-2)

Airing Cupboard by Barbara Dordi (ISBN 1-902529-03-0)

Henge by Mary Rice (ISBN 1-902529-04-9)

Cafard by Robert Cole (ISBN 1-902529-06-5)

Paths by M.P.A. Sheaffer (ISBN 1-902529-09-X)

Looking for Solutions by Susan Bennetta (ISBN 1-902529-14-6)

Those Marks So Deeply Scored by Philip Bennetta (ISBN 978-1-902529-17-2)

VIRAL Journal of a Plague Year by Michael Curtis (ISBN 978-1-902529-29-5)

Bodmin Moor is a remote, rugged, heather, gorse and fern covered upland granite moorland in Cornwall, England. The Moor is the largest unit of the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), which spans a number of mostly coastal areas in southwest England. It is the first AONB, a type of landscape in the United Kingdom designated for conservation due to its significant value, to receive International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) accreditation for its dark skies.

We live on Bodmin Moor and it is a landscape that inspires my most recent works. Here is Dark-Sky Moor, a work in progress.

robin flew into our sitting room today, through the open cottage door, and perched on my abstract landscape…

Inspired by the poetry of a moorland mist, when the constantly shifting landscape blurs then vanishes away, alone and dreaming…

Work on paper, based on sketches from last year and a recent visit to Hannafore by Looe (Acadiane Journeys Bodmin Moor to Looe)

I prepared this Somerset paper for an edition of cyanotypes. Unfortunately, it became prematurely exposed to light and could not be used in the edition. However, I did not throw the thirty sheets of paper away and, after several experiments, decided to make some new work, based on sketches I have made. Here is Willow, my first experiment with the prepared paper and medium:

We made a series of films whilst living in France entitled “Acadiane Journeys…” filmed from our Citroen Acadiane van, on journeys in France. All these films have original music and poetry, in English and/or French. We lived in France for eight years, had our studios there and were registered as Artiste Libre. Sadly, when we returned to live in the UK our little French van was sold and something larger purchased to help with the house move. Our van was originally registered in Charente Maritime (17) and today Daisy has returned, an Acadiane from the same region, via Wales! So, more films to come, here’s a link to an earlier one, made in France, when we were struggling with staying or returning to the UK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DcHVLDC_Jc

and here is Daisy, just arrived today:

We had a quiet lock-down, exercising each day near our home, along with other walkers and cyclists, noticing how the birds, animals and wildlife, including escapee sheep, had also taken to our little no-through lane, leading to Siblyback Lake on Bodmin Moor. Then lock-down ended, traffic returned, and it became no longer safe on the lane and walkers stayed away. We find animal corpses most days…

This is our latest Poem by Post, entitled Killing of Crow

I was obviously working on this one metre square painting in 2013, while living in France. I really like it and left something of myself there…

So, here is a photograph of the painting, which is now the work.

I like using commonplace materials, bringing found objects to the studio…

I was making steps down to the stream running by the studio and needed one last plank of timber to front the top step. I came across a sawn-off scaffold board, which had a nail-plate on one end. The metal plate was jagged at the edge, so I removed it…

When the steps were complete, I took the now twisted nail-plate to the studio and instinctively placed it on a canvas I was working on…

The question is…

burning Birch is said to uplift the spirits. These Birch logs were in the log basket and drew my attention, so I took them to the studio…

Due to the Covid 19 situation, we were not able to take up our 2020 residency with the National Trust, at St Anthony Head, on the Roseland Peninsula, Cornwall. Therefore, instead, we made the 2020 edition from our home on Bodmin Moor. We made thirty-two in total (see below) and have chosen sixteen of these to make available for sale at: https://susanbennetta.com/work-for-sale/

We have just started working on our most recent edition of cyanotypes, from our home on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, UK. The first “test” set have cooked in the sun, had a very good wash and now drying overnight. We hope to complete the main body of work by the end of the week. Here’s a selection of photographs from the site, where we are working, more later…

Bodmin Moor is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and designated an International Dark Sky Landscape and we have decided to make our work, during this “lock-down” year, using sunlight and moonlight.

We are fortunate to be able to work from our home, here on the moor, with a stream and footpath running alongside the garden and hedge, set in a beautiful landscape; more to follow…

work in progress continued

Work in progress continued…

Midwinter Spring -“its own season ( T.S. Eliot)”, has its own season on Bodmin Moor, and each of these three paintings carries fragment, history, memory, sense of place, spirit and trace of other. Water from a stream by the studio is mixed with soluble oil paint and…

earth contains fragments of earth from the moor

water has a stream-water wash, between paint layers

flame carries ash from Christmas Day fire-pit flame