Trevor Ashby

Landscape and seascape

My preoccupation's with landscape and seascape have revolved around evidence of mans' involvement. The seaside is used as both a place of recreation and as a rubbish dump: even in the remotest of areas we find abandoned cars, cookers and refrigerators. I am interested by this ambivalence in our attitude towards the coastline and by the bizarre juxtaposition of objects that arises as a consequence. In some areas there is evidence of wartime activity with concrete pillboxes and gun emplacements marking another dimension in this relationship. In a more urban setting, objects from the home are found out of doors on wasteground or by the roadside producing a surreal relationship.

Still life

My work with still life follows many years of teaching still life painting. I became fascinated by the dehydrated remains of what had once been luscious fruits and flowers. I began to use very old cameras to record groupings of these objects, often in false relationships. Objects stored in boxes for many years have been put with more recent finds. Things photographed in the landscape have been brought indoors to be scrutinised in isolation or with other objects. The cameras themselves require some adaptation to make them work. More recently I have been using a 15" by 12", Victorian plate camera to make paper negatives which I contact print onto 20" by 16" paper. Even quite repellent objects can hold our gaze and can take on a mantle of beauty.