Pip Barfield
Printmaker
ABOUT Pip
My practice combines archaeology, social history and natural landscapes through which I walk with my lurcher, searching for pottery fragments. I enjoy describing my experiences and memories of childhood adventures on a farm in Nottingham and walking through wild places in The Peak District, and presently Cornwall. I try to express ephemeral beauty and the feelings of deep emotion for my family, using evocative objects such as pottery fragments, twine and faded, frayed, fabric. The materials I work with are generally found objects from field larking and beachcombing walks; softly worn flotsam, blue and white china fragments, feathers, torn remnants of sacking and slivers of rusty tin. These treasures sit on the shelf in my porch, waiting......Their time will come to be sewn onto fabric dyed in oak gall inks or printed onto an etching plate.
My degree show work is based on The Lurcher Who Came To Tea, a parallel narrative about my adopting a stripey lurcher in 2011 and embarking upon a Fine Art degree. The story unfolds through monoprints, screen prints, cyanotype prints, a clay sculpture and wallpaper printed from lino cuts of pottery patterns.
My practise combines archaeology, social history and natural landscapes, all areas I explore while walking with my lurcher, searching for pottery fragments. Within my work I enjoy referencing memories from my adventurous childhood in Nottingham, walks through the Peak District, and exploring Cornwall. I aim to express ephemeral beauty and the deep feelings I have for loved ones, by using evocative objects such as pottery fragments, twine and faded fabric. The materials I work with are generally found objects from field larking and beachcombing walks; softly worn flotsam, china fragments, feathers, and metals. These treasures sit on my porch patiently waiting until their time comes to be a part of my process.
