January 2022
Shelley Burgoyne and I went to find where the River Calder springs up on Heald Moor above Cliviger. Our first visit led us to the moors above the south west side of the Cornholme valley. This bleak area well and truly lived up to its reputation on a cold grey day. There is very little light and a dense fog. The wind turbines create their own atmosphere. There are springs and gullies of water coming from the moor high up and these seem to be channelled into rock beds.
On our second visit we approached from below, up beside Ratten Clough. The weather was cold and misty and the young river nestles and hides amongst swathes of wetland grass tussocks and sphagnum mosses. We approached the source in mist, keeping along a wall for orientation. Shelley took water samples to observe through the microscope, and I have started some paintings of the start of this river in its lonely upland habitat.
This year Shelley and I are going to collaborate in some of the work we do. Shelley is working as Artist in Residence with the Calder River Trust during 2022, and also volunteers with the Calder River Trust as a river monitor.
Experiencing natural and wild places is central to Shelley’s work. Rivers have been an inspiration in her work for a long time during which she has collected water samples from rivers and the sea and used a microscope to observe these and make direct drawings into sketchbooks as a starting point for further work.
The Flow Project 