The way humans connect with the land is of particular interest to me and reveals itself not only in the numerous and varied Bronze Age monuments in Ireland [stone circles, court tombs, standing stones] but also the forgotten sites of agricultural and historical import [lazy beds, dry stone walls, peat bogs and earthworks] that are found all across the countryside. Many mountains, for example, have deep significance as places of pilgrimage and spiritual renewal. Field Work comprises photographs of some of these sites in Ireland’s western counties, sites notable for their form, history and beauty, marked, too, as they often are by human intervention and the ages.
The photographs in this series are original platinum prints and enlargements of these prints. Platinum prints are made using a process developed in 1873 by British photographer William Willis that requires hand painting a light-sensitive emulsion containing platinum onto Hahnemuhle Platinum Rag paper. The image is made by exposing the emulsion to light through a large negative, and then developing and fixing the print in a darkroom. This 19th century process results in a rich image with deep tonalities, while the brushstrokes show the handmade character of the print: importantly, each one is unique. The painterly brushstrokes suggest the maker’s touch. The handmade, at times romantic quality of the photographs allows for the image to reflect the patina of time and capture a beauty that is often difficult to record with standard digital techniques.
The earth’s structure is sometimes thought of as its bones, the landscape its skin. Humans’ connection to stone is timeless, as can be seen worldwide in ancient structures, from architectural marvels such as the pyramids to dry stone walls, from standing stones to portal tombs. The earliest life-forms are preserved and embedded in stone and in turn have, themselves, over millennia, become stone, serving as perpetual records of our ancestors and their spiritual practices.
I don’t presume to be as knowledgeable about these sites as many of the people I have met who have grown up in proximity to them and whose lives are imbued with and informed by their cultural significance. Having visited sites in other countries, it’s evident that the connection to the land in Ireland’s west seems particularly deep-rooted and natural. Experiencing the beauty of the landscape and seascape in the west has made it abundantly clear to me that understanding and preserving the natural world are of utmost importance.
The quiet majesty and lingering mystery of these landscapes and man-made structures raise many questions about meaning, intention, lore, liminality, custom, and tradition. I have been inspired to try to make a record of these hauntingly beautiful and often taken-for-granted places in an effort to increase our appreciation of mankind’s elemental connection to the physical world.
Betsy Stirratt
2021
Clare Island looking towards Achill, Co. Mayo, 2019-2021, pigment print, 71 x 134 cm.
Stone, looking from Slievemore, Co. Mayo, 2016, platinum print, 53 x 71 cm.
Grange stone circle, Lough Gur, Co. Limerick, 2015, platinum print, 53 x 71 cm
Bertra, 2019, 12 x 18 in., Platinum print
Mulranny, 2019, 12 x 18 in., Platinum print
Doolough Valley, looking towards Delphi, Co. Mayo, 2016, platinum print, 53 x 71 cm
Old Head looking towards Croagh Patrick, Co. Mayo, 2019, platinum print, 53 x 71 cm
Corraun peninsula, looking out to Clare Island and Louisburgh, Co. Mayo, 2016, platinum print, 53 x 71 cm
Megalithic tomb, Carrowmore, looking towards Knocknarea, Co. Sligo, 2016, platinum print, 53 x 71 cm.
Megalithic tomb, Carrowmore, Co. Sligo, 2016, platinum print, 53 x 71 cm.
Bertra dunes, looking towards Croagh Patrick, Co. Mayo, 2019-2021, pigment print, 96.5 x 172 cm
West stone, looking towards Croagh Patrick, Killadangan, Co. Mayo, 2017, platinum print, 53 x 71 cm.
Monumental stone, Corraun Peninsula, with view to Clare Island, Co. Mayo, 2016, platinum print, 53 x 71 cm.
Standing stone, looking towards Clew Bay, Murrisk Demesne, Co. Mayo, 2015, platinum print, 53 x 71 cm.
Standing stones, looking towards Clew Bay, Murrisk, Co. Mayo, 2015, platinum print, 53 x 71 cm.
Much of Indiana’s history has been affected by the availability, movement, redirection and innate properties of water. Ebb and Flow highlights some of the State’s forgotten waters, bottled and free flowing, visible and hidden from view. A chemical compound, essential for life, water has medicinal and healing properties, the power, too to carve stone and move earth.
Ebb and Flow touches on the social and economic history of Indiana Mineral waters, including those from French Lick, West Baden, Martinsville and the historic springs of Martin County. The economic impact of these waters was widely touted at the turn of the century. Indiana had over 23 productive mineral springs in 1905. Resorts and sanitariums were built all over the state, the best known being West Baden Springs in French Lick, Indiana, which exists to this day.
Subterranean flows and hidden water systems abound in Southern Indiana. Limestone karst features such as sinkholes, disappearing streams, caves and springs are numerous, and much of this photographic documentation highlights the way that water has shifted and molded the local sandstone and limestone geology. These images of the Lost River, limestone caves and karst drainage systems capture enduring features of the landscape that are all too easily overlooked.
Ebb and Flow is an ongoing collaborative project with Printmaker Tracy Templeton.
Reflections: Trees, 2022, 38”x38”, Inkjet prints on Uruyu papers
Spout Springs, Martin County, Indiana, 2020, Postcard, circa 1930 Courtesy of The Indiana Album
Spout Springs, located outside Shoals Indiana, has a long history providing water to locals and as a Native American meeting place.
Environs, 2021, 19 x 28.25”, archival inkjet prints, gouache
Donaldson Cave, Lawrence County, Indiana, 2020
Carl Eigenmann standing outside the entrance of Donaldson/Bronson cave, Lawrence County, Indiana, Courtesy of IU Archives, circa 1905
This cave is part of the Shawnee cave system, comprised of over 8000 feet of passages. A stream originates in the area and flows through the cave.
White River (flow), 2021, 11.5 x 19”, archival inkjet prints, gouache
Wabash, 2021, 18 x 12.75”, archival inkjet prints, gouache
Cave River, Washington County, Indiana, 2020, Postcard, circa 1900
The Cave River Valley Natural Area was long developed as an outdoor recreation area, housing a mill and distillery.
Reflections: Flood, 2022, 15”x28”, Inkjet prints on Uruyu papers
White River (winter), 2021, 13 x 20”, archival inkjet prints, gouache
Rise, 2022, HD, 3:31
Wesley Chapel Gulf, 2021, 12.75 x 19”, archival inkjet print, gouache
Reflections:Pluto Water, 2022, 21”x22”, Inkjet prints on Uruyu papers
Lost River, 2021, 15.5 x 12.75”, archival inkjet prints, gouache
White River (flood), 2021, 12.75 x 18.75”, archival inkjet prints, gouache
Trinity Springs, Martin County, Indiana, 2020, Postcard, Circa 1919 Courtesy of The Indiana Album
Trinity Springs was a center for therapeutic sanitariums in the late 19th-early 20th century. There were approximately seven tourist hotels in the area, taking advantage of three natural springs.
Reflections: Levels, 2022, 18.5”x54”, Inkjet prints on Uruyu papers
Lake, 2021, 11.5 x 18.75”, archival inkjet prints, gouache
Monroe County, 2021, 25.5 x 19”, archival inkjet prints, gouache
Near Madisonville, LA
Kudzu Field, near Port Gibson, MS
Ruins of Mississippi River Basin Model, near Jackson, MS
On the Natchez Trace, MS
Near Madisonville, LA
These objects are related to the books that appear in the Nature Morte Press section of this site. These items bridge the connection between the books and other work related to collections.
Pathos, 2016, 15x18x2 in., Mixed materials
Herbarium Record (detail), 2016, 33x7x1.5 in., Mixed materials
Name Drop, 2018, 33x30x5 in., Mixed materials
Neurons, 2018, 24x17x12 in., Mixed materials
The Anatomist, 2017, 30x72x1.5 in., Mixed materials
Herbal Notes, 2016, 37x4.5x2 in., Mixed materials
Herbal Notes (detail), 2016, 37x4.5x2 in., Mixed materials
Notes on Humans, 2016, 29.5x4.5x2 in., Mixed materials
Notes on Humans (detail), 2016, 29.5x4.5x2 in., Mixed materials
Birds of Northern Europe, 2016, 30x4x2 in., Mixed materials
Birds of Northern Europe (detail), 2016, 30x4x2 in., Mixed materials
Herbarium Record, 2016, 33x7x1.5 in., Mixed materials
Word Collapse, 2017, 42x32x27 in., Mixed materials
Remains 9, 2017, 24x36 in., Gouache, heat transfer
Remains 1, 2017, 18x12 in., Gouache, heat transfer
Remains 2, 2017, 18x12 in., Gouache, heat transfer
Remains 3, 2017, 18x12 in., Gouache, heat transfer
Remains 4, 2017, 18x12 in., Gouache, heat transfer
Remains 5, 2017, 18x12 in., Gouache, heat transfer
Remains 6, 2017, 18x12 in., Gouache, heat transfer
Remains 8, 2017, 24x36 in., Gouache, heat transfer
Remains 7, 2017, 24x24 in., Gouache, heat transfer
Collected Series, 2016, 11x8.5x.75 each, mixed materials, words and images by artist; binding by Mary Uthuppuru
Natural History, 2014, 10.5x8.25x.75, Mixed materials, words and images by artist; binding by Mary Uthuppuru
Natural History, 2014, 10.5x8.25x.75, Mixed materials, words and images by artist
Natural History, 2014, 10.5x8.25x.75, Mixed materials, words and images by artist
Anatomy Collected, 2016, 11x8.5x.75, mixed materials, words and images by artist; binding by Mary Uthuppuru
Anatomy Collected, 2016, 11x8.5x.75, mixed materials, words and images by artist
Anatomy Collected, 2016, 11x8.5x.75, mixed materials, words and images by artist
Anatomy Collected, 2016, 11x8.5x.75, mixed materials, words and images by artist
Zoology Collected, 2016, 11x8.5x.75, mixed materials, words and images by artist; binding by Mary Uthuppuru
Zoology Collected, 2016, 11x8.5x.75, mixed materials, words and images by artist
Zoology Collected, 2016, 11x8.5x.75, mixed materials, words and images by artist
Zoology Collected, 2016, 11x8.5x.75, mixed materials, words and images by artist
Botany Collected, 2016, 11x8.5x.75, mixed materials, words and images by artist; binding by Mary Uthuppuru
Botany Collected, 2016, 11x8.5x.75, mixed materials, words and images by artist
Botany Collected, 2016, 11x8.5x.75, mixed materials, words and images by artist
Botany Collected, 2016, 11x8.5x.75, mixed materials, words and images by artist
Growth and Decay, 2015, 9.25x8.25x.5, Mixed materials, words and images by artist; binding by Mary Uthuppuru
Growth and Decay, 2015, 9.25x8.25x.5, Mixed materials, words and images by artist
Growth and Decay, 2015, 9.25x8.25x.5, Mixed materials, words and images by artist
Growth and Decay, 2015, 9.25x8.25x.5, Mixed materials, words and images by artist
Natural History, 2014, 10.5x8.25x.75, Mixed materials, words and images by artist
Humanity, 2014, 10.5x8.25x.75, Mixed materials, words and images by artist; binding by Mary Uthuppuru
Humanity, 2014, 10.5x8.25x.75, Mixed materials, words and images by artist
Humanity, 2014, 10.5x8.25x.75, Mixed materials, words and images by artist
Humanity, 2014, 10.5x8.25x.75, Mixed materials, words and images by artist
