Place. We all remember places differently – from vivid imagery to smells and textures. The relationship between place and memory has motivated me to visually explore personal environments as part of my practice. Focusing on my hometown; Oldham, in Greater Manchester a location of industrial boom but also one that has contrasting green landscapes. Collating both my personal and family memories, as well as cultural memories, to create a sense of place through the notion of printmaking and drawing. I am drawn to the details of the area such as the plants and textures and include areas into my work to reflect this, often working with the plants and flowers themselves to do this creating marks and textures through print making. 

When sharing my work with others such as my Gran it often leads to hearing more unique stories of these places, which forms a deeper connection and unfolds new viewpoints. Using different materials and a layering method to combine the different aspects of the environment – the use of tracing paper aids this, the slight transparency but also blurred effect relating to the notion of fading memories. Working mainly with a black and white colour palette, the use of space and contrast is important, each line representing different aspects of the place, and how strong that memory is. 

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