Caught in the Blackthorn is an original ink drawing inspired by a Portumna fairy-fort legend involving a blackthorn bush said to be protected by hidden presences.
The drawing imagines the blackthorn as a place of concealment and warning: thorned branches, dark sloes, moths, snails and fungi are caught in a dense tangle of ink. At first glance it appears botanical, but closer inspection reveals a more unsettling atmosphere, where the natural world seems guarded, watchful and not entirely benign.
This piece is part of my ongoing interest in overlooked natural spaces, folklore, trace evidence and the strange lives hidden close to the ground.
 
The drawing measures 30x40cm and has been professionally framed in black frame with white mount for a classic finish and to measure 40x50cm