& Perfect Hills

‘In Search of the Perfect Hill’ is an ongoing artistic journey through the Marches by a group of artists inspired by their ‘Perfect hill’

Hay Bluff (Penybegwn) – my perfect hill.

The Black Mountains were a familiar presence throughout my childhood.

When my much older brother came back on home visits from university (in the 1970’s), it was a special treat to go for a trip out to the hills and walk to Hay Bluff and the surrounds. This wild place provided such an exciting experience, the steep climb and the reward at the top – a vision of the Welsh borderland stretched out before you. Always a chance to spot the wild Welsh mountain ponies in varying colours, so much part of this landscape. Often, we would find scattered bones of ponies or sheep, a reminder that life on the hill was tough, cold and unforgiving.

It is only relatively recently that my work has embraced Landscape. I am now a little obsessed by the view of Hay Bluff which, I realise, is visible from all around the County. Its presence is a comfort, its height protecting and amplifying the low, level plain of Herefordshire. Its appearance changing constantly, with the light, the time of day, the weather, the season. Sometimes kind and sometimes brooding, it is a very ‘moody’ hill.

I have enjoyed making monochrome ink and wash sketches of the bluff, familiarising myself with its contours. This process seems to suit this subject. The coloured monoprints have developed from these, using rollers, brushes and printing press, I am trying to capture the essence of it, the fleeting glimpse of it we may have as we travel past or the way the light, clouds and weather affect it as we stand and stare.