Laurel Holmes is a fine artist based in Kommetjie, South Africa, whose work is drawn from a strong attachment to the landscape and her deep love for nature and natural places.
More info: stateoftheart-gallery.com
“There is in us a deeply seated response to the natural universe, which is part of our humanity.” - Rachel Carson.
The imagery Laurel works with is that which, in time, we will rarely be able to see. A concern is the natural areas and the fauna and flora of the areas she has access to, will be only available to those who are privileged to have the resources to enable them to travel to these areas.
In this film, I visited Laurel in the natural areas surrounding her home and studio - including a rare Milkwood forest and the beach where she collects items to create and inspire her monotype printmaking - and learnt about visual loss and the impact of environmental degradation.
"I work in response to the beautiful things that nature produces, and in that is a deep appreciation for but also a concern for earth and environment. Natural areas are disappearing and fewer and fewer people have access to them. We want people to have an awareness of how amazing and essential nature is to our wellbeing, but cannot expect that if they don’t know what it is or have never experienced it. " - Laurel Holmes
"The constant questioning of why and how one makes say, a brushstroke, can be tiring but that working and working at it until that little bit of magic (for me) starts to happen, is the thing. With printmaking, I am combatting the ‘quality’ insecurity by trying to recognise when the work comes off the press and feels right, first time round. To counter artist’s block, I sometimes turn to another medium (like charcoal drawing) where there is nothing vested in the outcome, but often this can influence the other media one is working with." - Laurel Holmes
Laurel in the Milkwood forest close by to her home in Kommetjie.
