The Story:
I am lucky enough to live in a beautiful rural area of the United Kingdom with my home surrounded by open fields & mixed deciduous woodlands.
One of my favourite times of year is spring when everything begins to wake up from its winter slumber (me included).
The bluebell woodlands of the United Kingdom are probably one of the most renowned & iconic images of springtime you could image. If you are lucky and it is a good year it is like being immersed in a sea of vibrant blue. You know without a doubt winter is over, spring is here & summer is just around the corner.
The leaves are shooting on the trees in that bright fresh lime green that only newly emerging leaves have for just a few short weeks each year. Wildlife is busy courting and breeding & the whole natural world is a mass of regeneration & new life. Its like the world finally takes a breath, having been holding it all through the long dark winter months, energy & life exude from the earth itself.
This is one of my favourite woods, the trees are mostly beech & the abundance of bluebells is always almost overwhelming. The blue is broken here & there by the newly emerging bracken stems. The odd fallen log a casualty of previous autumn storms, goes to emphasise the circle of life, from the fallen leaves of the previous year the bluebells emerge to flood the ground with colour & life. When you gaze at the picture you can almost hear the wind whispering through the trees & the birds singing their beautiful melodies from the tree tops, the bluebells heralding the arrival of spring & rebirth.
HOW PURCHASING THIS PRINT WILL SUPPORT CONSERVATION:
Whilst most of my artworks and photography prints focus on African wildlife, I am also aware that the challenges facing wildlife and nature aren’t limited too far off lands and exotic creatures. In fact the natural world outside my own front door here in the UK is also struggling. With this in mind I have tried to find a charity that focusing on a broad arching eco-system level conservation project within the UK to support through the sales of my prints that feature UK wildlife and landscapes, surprisingly I have found this more of a challenge then in selecting my African charities.
For now I have chosen a charity I came across several years ago and have followed ever since, they have an ethos that I think matches my own and who also seems to be acting now and delivering results rather than just promising them.
Trees for Life focuses on the Scottish highlands and have several interesting programmes in their attempts to protect nature and “rewild” the areas where they operate. Started in 1993 by Alan Watson Featherstone, he was determined to protect the precious ancient Highland Caledonian forests before they were lost for good. The charity is now recognised as one of the leading experts in wild forest restoration in Scotland and its Dundreggan tree nursery continues to strive to ensure enough rare and hard to grow trees are available to be planted in the Highlands.
One of the reasons I am drawn to this charity, is it’s understanding that a forest is not merely trees, but an interconnected intricate web of life. Whilst their roots are in trees and growing and planting, they have also managed successful re-introductions of red-squirrel and are active in the pursuit of restoring a full ecological balance to these forests, through supporting wildlife conservation. This alongside their latest ambitious project that aims to bring together a coalition of landowners and communities across a large area of the central highlands under the banner “East West Wild”. Based on the principles of similar successful large scale projects in Europe, they hope to unite nature, people and business through the understanding that we are interwoven strands of the same tapestry and that success and wellbeing for the individual parts depends on the health and wellbeing of the whole, to truly thrive we must work with nature and re-find our connection to the land.
If you would like to support them directly or learn more about their work you can visit their website: https://treesforlife.org.uk/
EXTRA INFORMATION:
Instead of offering bulk mass-produced prints, I want you to know that you are buying something special and unique. I feel that people should purchase fine art photography prints because the artwork speaks to them and they feel an emotional connection to the print and the photographer. All my prints are strictly available as low number limited edition runs. As a limited edition print sells its price will appreciate accordingly in the online store, as fewer remain available to purchase.
This picture is printed on Canson Baryta, a 310gsm acid free pure white museum grade paper with maximum longevity, great image sharpness and amazing tonal range.
I recommend that when you receive your print that you have it properly mounted and framed by an experienced professional frame shop to ensure the maximum care and longevity of your artwork.
Should you wish to purchase a limited edition print in a different size to that listed, please contact me and I will be happy to discuss your requirements and provide a quote for the cost to produce the print in your desired size. I am also happy to provide quotes for framing or printing onto Chromaluxe if you would like to have your print sent to you ready for you to hang on your wall.
