Wild Margins 2, After the Storm

Paintings and drawings arising from walks along the River Wye and its surroundings. The Wye, also known by the Welsh name of Afon Gwy is rich in history and travels from the Welsh Mountains for some 155 miles to its mouth on the Severn estuary. The Wye Valley is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is a migration route and wildlife corridor and a key breeding area for many nationally and internationally important species. During one week in February 2022 a union of three superstorms hit our coastlines. Ensuing gales and floods resulted in 14 million houses losing power, schools closing and roads and bridges becoming impassible. Uprooted mature trees surfed the Wye in their entirety. What emerged afterwards was a landscape of destruction and structure, a complexity of rearranged shapes and patterns in many forms of enchantment. Like very many rivers in the UK, the Wye is suffering from extreme pollution and, in May 2023, Natural England downgraded its official status to 'unfavourable, declining'. This book was printed in a limited edition of 200 signed copies, £20. Contact Ann for details.