The Curlew has become a frequent companion on many of my walks in the wilder parts of northern England. The presence of its familiar call, particularly in apparently empty settings of moorland or at river estuaries, led me to mistake it a commonplace bird.

This presence also meant I was ignorant of its endangerment. This precariousness was an unnerving realisation, given the contribution of the call of this particular bird to my experience of the natural world.

The work therefore has a very explicit subject, whose call is explored in a haiku, a Japanese form of verse, traditionally relating to nature.

The poem is printed in letterpress- once a commonplace technique, but now an uncommon way of communicating the printed word.

Artist Gallery

Mark Lambert

I make art about landscape, mostly about my immediate surroundings. I make expressive drawings and paintings from my local environment. More recently, I have explored how I can complement my images with writing- largely in poetry.

For many years I have explored some of the more remote parts of Britain through painting, drawing or photography. Now my regular local walks to and through the local country park (reclaimed from the former Watergate Colliery) are the starting point for my work. This place has short, steep-sided, narrow, winding valleys, with overhanging woodlands and occasional distant views over the built-up Tyne valley.

While out walking I make notes, take photographs and sketch. These become the source material for the studio-based drawing and painting. More recently, I have sought to complement and enhance these images with writing- initially through greater attention to the titles of paintings and then using prose to link the work, which has in turn led me to poetry.

I was born and brought up in the West Midlands. Then, following work and study, to different parts of England and overseas. I have maintained an interest in landscape throughout, and for more than twenty years I have developed art from that interest.

My formal art education includes art theory studies with the Open University and a Foundation Certificate in Fine Art. I have also sought out many opportunities for practical art education, including the St Ives School of Painting and at Northern Print.