MSblackink   (Welsh, b. 1996)

"Freedom"
2020
Organic handmade charcoal ink studies on mulberry paper​ (printed on wood)

60cm x 90cm
12mm thickness
 
105 paintings, 105 natural subjects, 105 days in lockdown.

My art practice focuses on using organic materials as the subject and the medium. Interest in nature and art has led me to combine the two by crafting my own tools, inks and papers out of natural resources. Paganism has been a prime influence with the belief of showing a veneration for nature throughout my artistic process.

Prior to lockdown I had been struggling with severe anxiety which has had a profound effect on my life. Simple activities such as short walks and everyday tasks were always difficult and rarely completed. During lockdown I have been able to embrace the quietness and solitude of the outdoors and able to carry out everyday tasks. Every day I have felt safe to go outside and walk my dog, which before was a task I never was able to do. There’s a stillness in the air, the roads are quiet and passers-by are rare.

This has given me the opportunity to relax and appreciate everything that we have already in the natural world. I decided to illustrate a subject every day that I saw on my daily walk relating to nature. I have been painting with handmade charcoal ink on mulberry paper.

I started painting on the 23.03.20 when lockdown was announced whilst living in wales up until 07.07.20 when restrictions were lifted.

The restrictions of lockdown gave me freedom, it created a path for me to step outside my comfort zone, whilst it seemed everyone else was losing their freedom.