Molly Wallis is a painter and printmaker living in Suffolk whose work predominantly focuses on the natural world. Currently, she is working on a long term project documenting the decline of UK birds in Mezzotint.
She tells us; “I had always enjoyed printing alongside painting on my degree, however I fell completely in love with it when I found myself without the time and space to paint during lockdown. Working as a teacher and rather frazzled by homeschooling my own children, a creative change of direction was forced.” This reignited Molly’s personal practice after years of teaching Art in secondary schools, and has also provided a supportive community for which she is very grateful.
Molly first focused on birds back in 2003 when she read about the atrocities of the H bomb on Christmas Island 1956-62 and the impact it had on the birds in the sky. This informed an etching series (as well as a sculptural response) called Bird-Man. “With hindsight I can see clear links with what I am producing now, albeit a completely different approach,” says the printmaker.
After graduating Molly spent 15 years or so teaching, thus her own artwork took a backseat. She comments; “The idea of the Old Crow had held a fascination for me for years, but it bubbled back up to the surface after the death of my father. The crow became a familiar comfort raised around a series of coincidences, which became my own personal folklore.” Molly documented this in her first etching in 15 years when she attended a workshop led by Evelyn Polk in Bury St Edmunds. Several crow prints followed, and she was back making her own work again.
Like many, Molly started to become really aware of the decline in biodiversity when everything slowed down in Lockdown. She recalls; “Taking those daily walks of freedom and noticing things… really noticing. My appreciation for the natural world (which had always been there from childhood) reawakened and with that came the discovery of the statistics of decline and ultimately The Red List, which I immediately knew I wanted to document in its entirety.”
The Red List came to life in the form of a series of Mezzotints. She was inspired to use this printmaking technique by her father, who was a photographer who adored working in black and white. Molly describes; “I think there must be an unconscious pull towards the velvety darkness of a mezzotint, which reflects some of his favourite photographs.” She continues; “Mezzotints are mysterious but also from a practical point of view I knew I wanted a non toxic process. I soon became absorbed in the act of revealing the landscape or bird from the copper plate.” Working in a range of dark tones, the true colour of the bird is absent, making the images appear as if they are from an old book; a time when the population of these particular birds was of no concern.
Each artwork in the series starts with research. Molly compares facts, folklore and statistics species by species, making notes, gathering images, and producing drawings. To counter the intricate (and “exhausting”) nature of mezzotints, Molly also makes monotypes, where the painter in her also comes out. These monotypes are in stark contrast to her mezzotints, but probably share more then is immediately apparent.
Molly concludes; “The way I see it birds are a symbol of freedom and the delicate connections and interrelations between us, our landscape, flora and fauna dictates the wider climate emergency. Through archiving these birds I hope to raise awareness of their individuality, unique characteristics and their personal histories, in the hope that they will not become merely another memory of something we should have saved.”
www.mjwallisfineart.com
@mjwallisart
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