Cobbold & Judd

Modern & Contemporary Art

Janet French & Emma Buckmaster

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A collaborative project

Tree Portraits are a series of etchings of native tree species printed on to paper made from the trees own leaves. The leaves of each tree behave differently and the process is one of continuous experimentation. The leaves are collected and after a prolonged process of soaking and boiling, delicate sheets of paper are created using only the natural constituents of the leaves to bind them together. Whilst the paper is still damp the etched image is printed on to the leaves from a steel plate using a traditional etching press. The Tree Portraits are sealed between two sheets of glass and framed in professionally handmade oak box frames. This allows light through the leaf paper to enhance the translucency of the leaves and the tree appears to float within its frame.

Buckmaster French have exhibited widely, at the Royal Academy, the V&A and the National Trust. They have featured in a BBC documentary on the RA Summer Exhibition, in the Financial Times and Country Life. They are members of The Arborealists.