Colin Riches NAPA

I try to distil the essence of a place by being present to what is there in the moment and then engaging directly with the materials to be found there. My initial response is through mark- making with twigs, moss or my fingers using ink, earth, peat and mud as media. The immediacy of this first encounter is slowly changed by a more intuitive and contemplative working process, modifying the record of the first encounter and connecting with deeper, more hidden levels of meaning. My recent work is about the mapping of an inner landscape, giving shape to the hidden geography in which my Christian spirituality and artistic practice have their roots. Key elements are a purposeful playing with found materials and “tools”, exploration, experiment and risk-taking. During the last six years my work has changed from large timber sculptures and installations, to smaller, more intimate two dimensional pieces. A new, more austere but inviting inner landscape is opening up.“Landscape is the first-born of creation ... it is the most ancient presence in the world though it needs a human presence to acknowledge it.” Anam Cara John O’Donohue