Helen Ryman

Blue Route

My work has always been about Wigtownshire, whether it be the stories of the people and their animals or the land itself.
My paintings and sketches are snapshots of a changing rural landscape and perhaps begin a conversation about rural decline and what we lose as communities evolve or are lost.

About My Practice

My art practice explores my connection to Wigtownshire through the resources that literally surround me. The same resources that shaped my growing up in Wigtownshire, shape my artwork.
My paintings sketches and prints are process led pieces using fragments of foraged brick, slate, roof timbers or the nearby flora. My work is changing as I keep exploring and asking questions. How am I connected to my land? What else can the land teach me?

Tools & Materials

I collect fragments of bricks or maybe slate. Initially breaking them down with a hammer, I then grind the rocks down into smaller and smaller pieces using a mortar and pestle. Eventually I am left with pigment. I turn it into the artist material I’m looking for using binder and a glass muller. A thought provoking process, it really connects you to the materials you’re about to use.
The materials change depending on where I forage, and I let the foraging process guide what art work I might make.