Threave

Threave has a visitor centre, attached to a large estate and farm, which is used to train gardeners. My brief was to photograph in winter and spring, to create an exhibition showing the estate and farm in a new way. Graven Images redesigned the interior of the centre, where my exhibition of twenty framed prints hung, and they also digitally enlarged three photographs onto metal panels. In spring I took many colour images of the landscape and flowers which they put onto panels. the weather was difficult, and the foot and mouth crisis restricted me, but I got many strong photographs. The project was to put photographic art into a place which would usually show obvious, picturesque, or amateur imagery, and challenge the visitors to see something new. My work suited the project as I like to photograph farmland and gardens, and have a track record of doing abstract, and metaphorical imagery based on nature, and man's intervention in the landscape. I knew the county of Dumfries and Galloway from childhood, and enjoyed the commission. I was guided round the estate and farm for a day by the designer and two managers, to provide a background to the place, and to discuss the approach. I was given free reign to do what I wanted, and also did a portrait of the head gardener. I worked in my usual way, but also took many images in spring to capture the flowers, knowing these would have a wide appeal