Heather Moore

Walks between Milecastle 35 and 36 took me past Sewingshields – an interesting part of the ruins. Much as I like to explore what’s left of the buildings, I’m more of a details person so my interest was piqued when I found little gaps in the wall at the top of the hill. These gaps felt like windows looking over the gorgeous landscape on the other side, perfectly framing Bromley Lough. Even when the rain began to sprinkle, the Lough sparkled – there’s something magical about it.

It was quiet and calm. Once I’d settled on the composition, I broke it down into colours. I accentuated the vibrancy of each colour and carved two blocks to layer the colours. I was planning to complete the print at this point but I felt it needed another layer to tie it together. The third layer is printed in a soft grey which adds some depth and form. Lino print is my favourite print method but I vary whether I work with multiple blocks or reduction print.

On this occasion I plumped for multiple blocks so that I could have greater control over how the layers sat and recarve areas if I needed to.