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INTRODUCING THE ARTIST

Jo Darling is a painter of landscapes and still life, and a printmaker. Without formal art school training, she studied for seven years with New York artist Randy Klinger at the Moray Art Studio on Findhorn Bay, drawing, discussing aesthetics and refining perception.

 
A healer friend suggested she take up printmaking when he 'saw' her using little chisels, and this proved a fruitful direction to take. There is something simple and direct about the woodcutting technique which suits Jo's approach to art. She uses MDF, which is soft to cut, and often works in situ, reacting directly to the living landscape without any preparatory drawing. The prints reflect this spontaneity, permitting flaws and so-called 'mistakes', which in fact create the expressive quality of her prints.  The landscape blocks used for this book were all cut in situ by the river.

 
The illustrations for White River are simple mono prints, emphasising the folk art aspect of relief printmaking. This allies itself naturally with Jamie Whittle's writing, which is also grounded, heartfelt, and arising from first hand experience.

 
The cover image of a pool near Daltulich Bridge was painted on two consecutive summer evenings in 2005 and is titled ‘Deep Pool’  It arose from a newly awakened sense of the beauty of the river, joy in the process of creation, and in gratitude for this amazing life on Earth.