Anita Bruce
Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK
Anita is a textile and mixed media artist and the current focus of her practice is tapestry weaving. A background in zoology informs a fascination with biodiversity and the fragile balance inherent in the natural world. Her connection to nature is through a sense of place, particularly the fauna and flora rich nature reserves in her locale. These are significantly personal places, familiar and comforting in an era of climate anxiety. She aims to distil their essence in her art.
The Washes is a work about Anita’s local landscape. It is distinctively low-lying, flat, empty and seemingly devoid of interest to many. Created centuries ago, by the drainage of the native fen, horizontal layers of dykes and fields are all that can be seen from ground level. The true nature of the Fens becomes more visible from a birds-eye view. The ‘Washes’ have been deliberately flooded to protect the more valuable agricultural land. Islands of Fen, together with the Washes, are slowly being returned to their native habitat as nature reserves.
Tapestry weaving, with its intersecting warps and wefts, reflects the grid structure of the Fens and the maps that Anita contemplates. A design process that simplifies until the Fens are distilled, guides the weaving. Subtle detail is provided by complex colour blending. Rather than replicate it, her ‘Washes’ series seeks to invoke the essence of the landscape in its many colour moods.
Photographs: by the artist