Autumn Fruits

Over the last few weeks I have watched the berries adorning the hedgerows growing plump and glossy. Higher up in the foliage they contrasted beautifully against the green leaves like sparkling jewels in the early autumn sun. The weather has been glorious and the rain on Monday was refreshing and welcome indeed. Many of the branches have become so laden and full that they hang low, dancing in the Fen wind. Some birds, like redwings, fieldfares, thrushes and blackbirds will find most of their winter food from this year’s great profusion of berries.

An image of a cornucopia, the horn of plenty occupied my thoughts for the remainder of the morning and I thought I might make a version to celebrate the fruitfulness and abundance of the countryside around me.

I decided to continue working with merino wool fibres and made a piece of Nuno felt in the deep rich colour of the hawthorn berries. The finished piece had some lovely distortions and edges which lent itself to embellishment with beads, wired coils and hand stitching. A very satisifying process.