Dwelling Place
by Philippa Sibert

Medium: Mixed media
Date / Size: 2007 / 90 cm by 70 cm

Artist Statement: I have a fascination about birds nests and believe them to be a complete expression of the birds home and natural environment. I also walk my two dogs in the beautiful Aber Cych valley near my home and love to watch the way light dances in between the trees in the autumn, exposing the structure of branches and twigs. This painting was really a coming together of my thoughts about the structure of birds nests and the light I witness lighting up the branches on my walks in the wooded valley along the river.

Biographical Statement: My faith is rooted in the Celtic tradition of Christianity. It appeals to me because it expresses joy and wonderment with the whole of creation and it is in the landscape that I feel most at home and at one with my maker. My studio is situated in the rural village of Capel Iwan near the coast of West Wales. It is a wild and ancient land with wide open skies, rolling hills, and rugged coastline. This setting has a profound effect on my work and the recurring themes of my paintings and photographs are the effects of light on the landscape, and textures and marks found on a variety of subjects affected by time and weather. I completed a BA Fine Art degree at the Surrey Institute of Art and Design in 1999. I am currently doing a part-time MA in Fine Art at Aberyswyth University and my most recent work is exploring ideas to do with transience and vulnerability.