My work is about connectedness, the relationships within nature that surround me and my experience within the whole. Through movement in, working on and living in the landscape I am constantly reminded that I am not separate from nature, but connected to it in many ways.

Our ancient woodland fascinates me. In my time exploring these wonderful places I often think about how they are rich, complex and the perfect setting for communities of fungi and insects along with the many species of plants and other animals and birds. 

Like the symbiotic relationships within woodland, my work is a collection of drawings, walks, observations and explorations that work together as a whole. 
Through a process of drawing outside and then working in my studio, there is a sense of ancestry being created. A sketch whilst walking through woodland will spawn a series of drawings, which then multiply, creating their own images. Eventually these evolve into the shapes, marks and patterns that make a painting. 
Sometimes my work resembles the trees and habitats I have visited and other times they are their own shapes and patterns that result from exploring materials and marks. 

As an organic market gardener, I’m a part of the land and connected to the relationships between the soil food web, weather, solar and lunar cycles and my own interactions with the plants just as each plant and creature in the woodland is.

It is as a painter I try to make sense of these relationships and my role within them, as I align my practice with my personal values. Exploring these connections with materials, line, repetition and with process. I am trying to connect my presence as a naturalist and as a painter, trying to make sense of things that might not ever be fully understood.

Mikk Murray