‘Wither’, framed monoprint, pigmented render, pen, pencil & acrylic, 80x110cm

One-off monoprint — only one available

‘Wither’ was selected for the Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair 2025 and Delamore Arts 2026.

‘Wither’ is an Old English reference to lichens that grow on wood. I was tempted to use ‘Rocktripe’, which is rather wonderful, but this specifically refers to lichens on rocks, so not particularly relevant here!

I wasn’t very happy with this during its early stages – the balance of light, canopy detail, and the pigmented filler looked wrong for several days when I was working on it.
Sometimes there’s a battle to be had, more so than others.
I did this concurrently with ‘Polypody’, as I prefer to work this way. This allows me to bounce between pieces, informing the process for each and allowing drying time for both masking fluid and the printed layers.

The Tree in question is an Oak I found on my second trip to Bovey Valley Woods with my photographer friend Jon in April 2025. This captures the magic of the moss and lichen-encrusted tree, along with the exceptionally bright canopy, which in turn illuminates the trunk. I was lucky to get there before the canopy closed up!