Millie Baker 

My work explores how we engage with the Irish landscape and how our relationship with it has changed over time. My process involves going out into the Wicklow mountains and fully immersing myself in this environment. As part of my research, I read old maps of the area as well as books on local plants, and I also talk to farmers who own and work the land, to learn about the natural history and geography of the places that I am exploring. I also closely investigate the native plants and animals that form part of the landscape. Colour plays a very important role in my work. On my journeys, I gather flowers, plants and other botanical materials to create natural dyes that I use in my paintings and I also make prints with the plants. Through these practices of gathering and making, I create a process-based body of work that reflects my relationship to my environment.