Virginia Colback

My work celebrates landscape - cliffs, farm tracks and dolmen, places which evidence the way people interact with their habitat. I also explore the concept of time in my work, documenting how places change their appearance and function over time, both through human intervention and natural erosion.

In my current practise, I am making links between 21st century Jersey inhabitants and their ancestors. I am looking at the traditional ways Islanders relate to the land, such as agriculture and quarrying, to how our ancestors lived and died. I am fascinated by the ancient passage graves - called dolmen - which dot the Island, providing a visual and spiritual link with our ancestral heritage.

On a painterly level, I celebrate mark making, both for its own sake and as a means of depicting natural forms. I am influenced by Antoni Tapies, Cy Twombly, Zao Wou-ki, Sarah Adams and the spirit of Pippilotti Rist. I am currently studying the work of Anselm Kiefer and Georg Baselitz.