Corinium Museum in Cirencester is opening its doors to artist Fiona McIntyre, who has interpreted the divine feminine in her exhibition Willow Unveiled: Magic & Medicine, running from October 24 to November 24
Artist Fiona McIntyre has developed this sympathetic body of new work partly in her Cotswold studio, but mainly during a residency in the Tudor hamlet of Clifford Chambers. It is a romantic place in the heart of Shakespeare country, nestling on the river Stour flanked by ancient, gnarled willows trees. Sarah Hosking is the driving force behind this unique residency – Hosking Houses Trust for ‘menopausal’ women writers and artists requiring time and tranquillity – and she has an impressive list of sponsors, including Dame Emma Thompson and Tracey Emin.
The small eccentric cottage is crammed with literature and art, and an old-fashioned bathtub in the bedroom. Every hour the village church bell gently vibrates through the cottage walls, giving the effect of being ‘on retreat’. Clifford Chambers is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as a small settlement, and still feels very unspoilt.
‘After graduation, I became a Swedish resident in Lund for the next seven years and developed this interest in raw pigments on a fresco course, leading to me winning a commission to make site-specific works for Malmo General Hospital using pigments on a marble ground. I also began making paint in my studio working directly with these materials.’
In Barcelona, Fiona studied an M.A. in European Fine Art and discovered the incredible Catalonian Expressionist Antoni Tapies and his ‘matter paintings’. ‘They fascinated me,’ she says, ‘because of how he incorporated the physical stuff of his environment into his art.This idea of working directly with ‘place’ was a seed that grew over many years leading to my current exhibition in the Corinium Museum.
The work for her latest exhibition, Willow Unveiled: Magic and Medicine consists of large graphite and earth pigment drawings that Fiona made on-site, where she spent up to five days on each drawing sitting on a river bank absorbing this largely unchanged environment.
‘In the evenings,’ she continues, ‘I developed eight experimental ‘shadow works’ in the small studio using exquisite hand-mulled watercolours prepared with mineral pigments in gum Arabic, such as lapis lazuli, ochres foraged from Gloucestershire and Devon, green earth, and malachite. This delicate paint was dropped into pooling lakes of water on paper to create ghost images of plants and willows collected along the river. The process of preparing pigment into paint on a glass slab is one of pure alchemy when the muller in a figure of eight pushes pigment particles and medium together. It is a meditation on patience leading to transformation when the ‘song’ of the pigment alters to become quieter and the physical sensation of muller on glass changes from gritty and rough to smooth and buttery, and at that moment it becomes paint!
Willow No. 1, Goddess Hecate, is the first in a series of eight graphite drawings made of ancient pollarded white willows (Salix alba) and weeping willow (Salix babylonica).
‘The shape of these contorted willow trees reminded me of mythological creation goddesses who formed the landscapes of every continent of this planet. The Greek goddess Hecate was particularly affiliated with willow trees, the moon, water and the mysteries of magic and healing, so this informed the work and inspired the idea of our ancestor’s belief system and medicine. Willow bark has been chewed to alleviate anxiety, headaches and pain for centuries because it contains salicin which is also helpful for arthritis, and muscle soreness. It was written about by Hippocrates and used by many indigenous cultures since the dawn of time, until modern medicine isolated the chemical compound salicin to make Aspirin. What is fascinating to me is that many natural pigments have also been used medicinally as a poultice to heal wounds, consumed as a vitamin supplement and applied on the skin as sunscreen.
‘I’ve come out of this experience with a deep respect and reverence for the willow tree with its long history of symbolism rooted in spirituality and cultural traditions. Its exceptional flexibility makes it capable of bending without snapping and it can regenerate easily when a cut branch is planted directly into soil. This makes it a perfect metaphor for feminine energy dealing with life’s challenges, renewal, regeneration, inspiration and intuition.
‘It is a symbol of rebirth, hope and healing.’
Fiona McIntyre is a member of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (ARE) and a founding member of The Arborealists.
coriniummuseum.org
fionamcintyre.com
When I meet an artist wanting to show in our exhibition space, I like to find links to something in our diverse collection, if only for my own pleasure. During my first conversation with Fiona about her residency, my immediate thoughts were of dryads and naiads, which seemed so suitable for a museum known for its Roman collection, as we are. Dryads, or tree nymphs in the willows leaning out across the river, and Naiads, or Water nymphs for the river itself. We have a lovely Water Nymph on display (see image) – so this was my first link. I also thought of one of our Roman mosaic floors, the Seasons. Each goddess is pictured in a roundel accompanied by associated imagery – Flora, the goddess of spring shown with spring flowers and a bird, seemed another perfect link. Although this may not leap to the minds of others, it will be in my mind when I get the chance to view the whole show.
Caroline Morris, Corinium Museum
