Collages of the Favourite Climbs of Women Climbers.

As an artist and rock climber, last year I started contacting well-known and other women climbers to invite them to send me photographs of their favourite climbs. From these I’m creating a major new series of collages. I’ve had a really good response.

Climber and UKC journalist Natalie Berry chose ‘The Cobbler’ in Scotland. The ‘Dream of White Horses’ in North Wales was Lucy Bland’s choice. Hazel Findlay’s choice was of Yosemite in the USA, & Priscilla Haselhurst chose Greece, overlooking Tolendos.

I’m planning to create maybe 10 – 12 ‘Gorgeous’ collages which I will exhibit around the country at climbing centres and galleries. I want these collages to encourage more women into climbing. I’d also love more climbers to enjoy art and the power of collage to convey beauty and meaning about landscape.

I’m really excited by this new development in my work.

Climbing & Art

In my work I love capturing the different moods of things I see around me. I’m addicted to making art about the eerie marshes, mudflats, and huge skies near where I live, on the North Kent Coast.

It might seem strange but as someone who loves being below sea level on the marshes, I also love climbing. Climbing is something I’ve had to fight for. Being scared of heights and often doubting myself is not a good recipe for success, but I’ve stuck with it and it’s paid off.

I think women climbers are amazing – they have a grace and strength different to men.

Anyway, for my art, I bring together my two loves of collaging and climbing. I use climbing magazines as a source for the paper for my collages. My images are created by ripping, cutting & sticking small pieces of rock, sky, sea, foliage, (and sometimes climbers!) to make one whole artwork.

Many climbers now give me their old magazines, and a few years ago as I was sorting through, I found a calendar of women climbers. The photography of the rockfaces and gorges was amazing, and the women were strong, beautiful, and awe-inspiring. I decided to celebrate women climbers in a series of collages, ‘The Gorgeous Project’.

Mudflats and rockfaces? To me they’re all connected.