The Wood Between the Worlds

Artist statement

The title is inspired by one of the first articles I read at the beginning of my training; ‘Art Psychotherapy: the wood between the worlds‘ by Malcolm Learmonth and Karen Huckvale. It is taken from CS Lewis’s story ‘The Magian’s Nephew’, and says that while the wood itself is silent and still, in it there are many pools of water and if you jump in, each one is a gateway to a different (perhaps inner) world….and I find art psychotherapy is a bit like that!

I’m inspired by my natural environment of the Forest of Dean and my work as a gardener. I work with natural objects and materials to dry, press and take impression using an etching press. Here I have printed a fern leaf and added layers of further printed material and collage papers. Celebrating nature in all its beauty by engaging playfully and intuitively with the printmaking process is a key element in my work.

Niki is a final year trainee art psychotherapist and is currently on placement in a specialised rehabilitation clinic for women. Niki is also a qualified and experienced printmaker and delivers classes and workshops in an open access printmaking workshop in the Forest of Dean.

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Niki’s art was submitted and selected for our online galleries. We are always looking for new artworks to share, and we often run themed calls for artwork.

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