FIELDS 20 (MEDIUM) SOMERSET LEVELS 2021 Photograph - Limited Edition of 5

This photograph is from the series SOMERSET LEVELS, a long term project started in 2018. The Levels are under threat from severe water pollution and high levels of phosphates are causing biological harm to the waterways ecosystem. Phosphate levels are three times higher than they should be on the Levels and the primary sources are from agricultural activities and water industry discharges. The project is broken down into different series of images including Fields, Wetlands, Flooded, Rivers and Night. My primary concern is how we view the landscape under the threat it faces. To accentuate and dramatise this I shoot the landscape during the day and at night. The day time images are subtle, calm and traditional but an element of anxiety and drama is introduced when the landscape is lit at night. This daylight work is influenced by the 19th century European Romantic painters, notably Turner and Caspar David Friedrich for their composition, use and colour and philosophy. The German was interested in the contemplation of nature, and his work seeks an emotional response to the majesty of the natural world. Man being seen as a diminished figure in comparison. I’m also interested in the idea of us looking at the natural world now, 200 years on, in awe of what we’re doing to the landscape. The photographs are printed on one of the world’s best fine art matte papers, Photo Rag, by Hahnemuhle. The archival cotton artist’s paper, has a wonderfully soft feel, boasts a lightly defined felt structure, and gives images a three-dimensional appearance and impressive pictorial depth. This paper produces outstanding prints that feature brilliant colours, deep blacks, and perfect reproduction of detail. For more information on the project please visit my website at Prints come in limited editions of 5 and 2 Artists Proofs. They are signed, titled and dated on reverse and shipped with a certificate of authenticity.