The Country Diary of A Gen Z Lady
I always loved the artwork of Edith Blackwell Holden - as well as Beatrix Potter’s botanical and wildlife pieces. Their pieces not only broke boundaries in terms of female art education in the Edwardian era, interfering in a world that was basically male-dominated both had successful careers as artists. And to boot they both ended up with incredibly supportive husbands, something which again was rare in the time.
There is of course a bit of a problem when it comes to loving the artwork of long-dead women. I cannot meet them or follow their Instagram, (I would have loved to be friends with both of them though considering we are all introverts that probably wouldn’t work very well) and just like authors who are now dead they will not be creating any more pieces. Which is incredibly depressing, although it makes the work they did create even more precious.
Their work has not only inspired me from a very young age, I grew up flicking through my mother’s edition of The Country Diary of an Edwardian Diary and having the stories of Beatrix Potter told to me, then reading them for myself; but their work also taught me so much about what can be accomplished through self-taught stubbornness.
Enter a mango leather notebook and multi-medium paper, a hiking holiday to the Lake District and a week without my phone or any screens/ wifi/ signal. What you get at the end of such a week is apparently a huge appreciation for the natural world and a wish to jot it down in your notebook.
So: I decided to do it my own way. I take Sky out every day for at least an hour, and the hedgerows are always filled with new wildflowers, the birds come and go with the seasons and of course there are day trips, holidays and the more academic side of naturalism.
I have a very amateurish understanding of birds and wildflowers. I know which flowers and plants not to eat, and which birds are native as opposed to just visiting. But another side to this project is a strong wish to further my knowledge of birds, flowers, herbs, mushrooms & toadstools and trees. I have an invested interest in natural dyes as well as herbal remedies so for me the best way to explore this is through art and visual identification. If at the same time I can create something really beautiful, then that’s a bonus.
Have a look at the images below and let me know what you think! Follow on Pinterest for regular updates.
I think there’s nothing more enjoyable than being out on a walk with nothing but a notebook, (and a fluffy companion) and jotting down what I see. We live in a world that doesn’t want us to stop, stand and stare at the natural world. So what better a revolution to start than one that raises our awareness of the world around us?!
The UK is made up of a huge percentage of natural temperate rainforest, also known as Celtic Rainforests. These rainforests are considered to be in more danger than the tropical rainforests of Brazil. However the awareness of these rainforests is low to nil in the psyche of the public - individuals like Guy Shrubsole who wrote Lost Rainforests of Britain.
The UK also have 10% of the world’s peat bogs which is 3 million hectares. While some may discount the land of these bioclimates and see nothing but property development, grazing land etc we have a responsibility to maintain and preserve these areas. This is something else which I hope my project will raise awareness of, and if you’re interested in learning more about the
Want to create your own naturalist journal? Browse the range of SOLEMNIKO notebooks or commission a design of your own and check out the article How To Fill Your Notebook for more ideas.
