Hidden in the Undergrowth

A collage series by Christine Rodrigues of England

Inspired by 'The word for the world is forest' by Ursula LeGuin

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Hidden lives, sacred worlds	Rising above the Forest Floor

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They sense our presence	Activity at Dawn	Silently Floating Towards the Light

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Do not disturb the undergrowth	Under leaf and twig

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Ancient Knowledge	Spirit Rising	They listen and see

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Dipping down into the forest	Forest Dwellers

Hidden in the undergrowth With this body of work I am exploring the thought that there are other beings living alongside us of which we are unaware. They live close by, aware of our presence and are in connection with the earth, to the world. Connected in ways that we have lost as our lives have become more and more disassociated from the the land and the sea. Our world is so out of balance with the natural order of things, with the melting of the ice and destruction of forest. The idea was inspired after reading 'The word for world is forest' by Ursula Le Guin; explorers from earth attempt to exploit and take over the land belonging to beings on another planet. These beings have knowledge ,they are very much part of their world, a world the invaders do not respect or understand. A story repeated by us over centuries.

Christine Rodrigues - Mixed Media Artist Based in West London I studied art at Chelsea School of Art specialising in sculpture and exhibit regularly in West London, the surrounding area and online. My work is realised using a variety of media and techniques, including photography, printing and collage with acrylics, pens and other materials. My influences and inspiration come from observing our environment and the natural world, from experiences gained travelling and from my beliefs. I usually like to work to a theme to produce a series. Past topics have included Elephants with patterns and architecture of India, Birds, mainly waders, found along the coast and at sea, and responses to prayer using acrylics with line drawing. My Current work has been influenced by spending some time at the Sussex coast, observing the shapes of shingle beaches, the plants and birds found there.

I worked on the images using various papers, printed, painted, sourced from magazines which are overlaid with cut or torn edges.
I have used wooden block printing and monoprinting, and some cut out rubber stamp figures and other paper figures as the beings which dwell in the undergrowth.

email Christine at   chriskyrod @ gmail.com (remove the spaces)