Calderdale Map (2024)

Original media: Inks, gouache, acrylics, watercolour, coloured, gold leaf.

Painted for 'Engineers & Chocolatiers' – a solo exhibition to celebrate Calderdale at Bankfield Museum, 2024.

I knew, right from the beginnings of the ‘Engineers and Chocolatier’s’ project, that I wanted to include a map. I just wasn’t sure what I wanted it to say! A map needs to tell you something specific. When I was exploring Calderdale for potential paintings, my friend took me for a walk from Copley Village up to Norland Moor, via Pickwood Scar. As we stood on Ladstone Rock she pointed out all the valleys and I realised that, though I know my end of Calderdale well, I didn’t know how it all joined up. So, ignoring the roads, I concentrated on the topography of the area, as it’s been carved out by the water. I love to know the names of the different moors; I think being able to name them makes them feel less vast and unknowable. I wanted to know which rivers flow into the Calder, and why some areas flood! I hadn’t really realised how empty the Upper Calder Valley was compared to the Lower Calder valley, where Sowerby Bridge sprawls into Halifax, Elland, West Vale, Greetland and Brighouse. Knowing the shape and topography makes sense of the history, and of how the industry developed here. My map will not be useful for navigating! But it might be useful for knowing where you’ve been.

Available as a signed limited edition print, hand-finished with gold leaf and gold thread. All prints are mounted and can be posted, unless purchased framed.