Artist Erica Luke has joined the Dartmoor Preservation Association as Artist in Residence. Over the course of a year, she will work with us to deliver the ‘Working the Land, Drawing the Landscape’ project, which includes embedded fieldwork, studio development and then two public exhibitions in Dartmoor and Plymouth. During the first six months of the project, she will join our Conservation Volunteers for 8 workdays on our land holdings, and she has already visited Swincombe, Pudsham Meadows and High House Waste.
At Pudsham Meadows, Erica joined DPA and Devon Wildlife Trust volunteers for our annual orchid count, where we identified and counted thousands of native orchids. Erica was able to learn the difference between a Twayblade, Southern Marsh, Heath Spotted and Butterfly orchid and spent some time in our fields sketching both the orchids and the volunteers at work. At Swincombe, we introduced her to some of the fascinating plants and invertebrates on site, including sphagnum mosses, caddis fly larvae and newts. Plus, we had the chance to visit onsite archaeology, including blowing houses that remain from historic tin mining activities. Erica joined our dedicated volunteers at High House Waste to assist with clearing bracken and tending to sapling tree guards, under the guidance of our Ecologist, Albert Knott.
Erica says: ‘Many people, particularly those living in urban areas, feel disconnected from the landscapes that sustain them. For Plymouth, Dartmoor provides much of the city’s drinking water while also supporting biodiversity, regulating water systems and offering an important space for recreation and wellbeing. This project explores how art can help bridge that gap while introducing new audiences to the work of the Dartmoor Preservation Association. This year-long, environmentally engaged artist residency explores the relationship between people and landscape on Dartmoor.’
By joining conservation volunteers at DPA stewardship sites, I will embed myself within the landscape and document my experiences. This will inform a new body of artwork celebrating both the landscape and the people who care for it, and the project will culminate in exhibitions in Dartmoor and Plymouth. By showcasing the Association’s conservation work and the positive environmental and social impact it creates, the project raises awareness, inspires action and offers hope within conversations around environmental and climate challenges. The resulting artworks will use vibrant colour and expressive forms to highlight beauty, care and collective action, encouraging positive engagement with the landscape.’
Erica is a visual artist creating work inspired by nature, place and memory. Through abstraction and heightened colour, her practice seeks to capture the emotional atmosphere of a scene. Sketchbooks form the foundation of her work, recording observations of landscapes and people that later inform larger pieces. She has a background in horticulture, including a Permaculture Design Certificate and City & Guilds Level 2 Practical Horticulture Skills, with experience in maintenance gardening, community gardening and conservation volunteering.
Her art and land-based practice exist in a reciprocal relationship: she approaches tending the land as a creative partnership with nature, with each discipline enriching and informing the other. She is interested in how spending time with the complexities of nature can deepen attention to the environment and strengthen a sense of connection to landscapes. Erica is now almost half way through her eight onsite visits and has been creating vibrant sketches, while immersed in conservation activities and hearing about the importance of the work first hand from our volunteers. We look forward to continuing to share updates on the project during the coming months.