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<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nInstallation view of Hugh Alcock, In the Dusk of\nthe Woods<\/em> in the Cell Gallery at Gallery 1313<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alcock\u2019s installation asks us to follow the artist in looking very closely at trees. Large drawings adorn the walls of the gallery and a wood and burlap sculptural figure stands on the floor. The drawings are heavily worked with several layers of chalk, charcoal, and subtle hints of colour. In these images, we are in the midst of dense thickets and undergrowth. It\u2019s the kind of forest where we push through branches that reach out to scratch skin and catch clothes. We\u2019re deep inside the forest, only glimpsing fragments of sky while dense vegetation limits our vision to foreground details. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGlen Nevis, Scotland\u201d, 2019, pastel and charcoal on paper, 40 x 64 in There is a serenity and stillness in these images and\nyet the linework and geometry in Alcock\u2019s depictions illustrate that there\u2019s a dynamic\nliving process at work, if at a pace and timescale that we cannot perceive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Alcock bases these drawings on photographs taken during walks in the woods. Often, elements from different photos have been combined into one drawing. Each drawing starts with a thin wash of pigment over thick watercolour paper. This background sets the general colour cast of the image and informs some of the layout. In \u201cDead Tree, Rouge Valley\u201d for example, drips and streaks in the pigment determine the arrangement of the trees and branches. He builds up detail with dark charcoal lines and white pastel as well as a restrained application of greens and browns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDead Tree, Rouge Valley\u201d, 2019, pastel and charcoal on paper, 40 x 60 in <\/p>\n\n\n\n Alcock explains that his work reflects a careful study of the forest rather than an expression of personal artistic intent. His work closely examines the shape and texture of branches, bark and leaves while resisting the conventional constructs of what we might expect \u2018beautiful landscapes\u2019 to be. Alcock see trees as \u201cemblematic of the natural world, that is, the world independent of us and our narrow interests and preoccupations.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDevon Woods\u201d, 2018, pastel and charcoal on paper, 36 x 50 in More\nrecently, Alcock has extended his interest in trees to the production of sculptures,\none of which occupies the floor of the gallery. Alcock collects sticks and\nsmall branches that he finds interesting. He feels that each fragmentary piece\ntells a story \u2013 it shows the history of its growth and development; it hints at\nhow it fit into the larger system of a tree. He arranges these individual\nsticks into groups and assemblies according to his own particular aesthetic and\nstructural rules. The structures are held together with simple hardware and are\nthen fleshed out with burlap fabric and baling twine. Of these assemblies, the\nartist says that they \u201cresemble animated creatures. Maybe they are\nmanifestations of what in mythology are called \u2018tree spirits\u2019 or \u2018drayads\u2019.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n “Sculpture, Untitled # 2\u201d, 2019, wood burlap and twine, 34 x 36 x 64 in<\/p>\n\n\n\n Again, as in the drawings, the work evolves through the careful study of trees and branches. The sculptures are the result of the materials and the rules of the process. The artist acts more like the editor rather than simply the author of the work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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