Alan Cameron: Landmarks

"Trees are keen to tell us so much. They'll tell us about the land, the water, the people, the animals, the weather and time. And they will tell us about their lives, the good bits and bad."
- Tristian Gooley

Alan Cameron first discovered the joys of printing with the grain of trees in 2020. Finding the lack of printmaking equipment in his new chosen home both challenging and liberating, he was able to work with what was at his disposal: trees, ink and paper.

The print surface is created by planing, sanding and then torching the cross section of the wood. This burns the softer rings of spring growth at a faster rate than the harder winter growth, leaving the textured print surface. The paper is then laid directly onto the surface and using a series of tools, Cameron work the paper into the grain to lift the ink. His print process draws on historic techniques, and also delves into the history of the wood itself, using each year of its development as part of the mark making.

The artist works primarily with local found and reclaimed timber. These are trees that have come down naturally. Cameron has printed from trees found on the beach, trees brought down in storms, and trees brought to his studio door. Each species of tree creates a unique pattern, determined by its differing speeds of growth. Softwood trees will have thicker set rings, whereas slow-growing hardwoods will have thin, tightly packed rings. Environmental conditions also contribute to how the pattern unfolds over the years, giving each tree a unique aesthetic.

Cameron's exploration of printing with trees has sparked a fascination not only with the patterns and structures shaped by their growth but also with the history and depth of time embedded within these objects. These trees have stood as landmarks in the same location for sometimes hundreds of years, absorbing everything around them, witnessing multiple generations of life. When they fall, their loss to the landscape is jarring to those who have walked past them every day, but every day they stood is marked down in history, like a timeline etched in wood.

Alan Cameron (b.1987) is a printmaker who lives and works, surrounded by trees, in Dumfries and Galloway. He graduated from the Glasgow School of Art in 2010 and went straight from there to work in the Glasgow Print Studio. After moving to Galloway, and without the use of a printing press, his practice took on a new direction, reflecting the landscape around him by using the physical imprint of the environment.

Recent exhibitions include Spring Fling, Decade - Kirkcudbright Galleries, and the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2024.