I lived in St Albans for the majority of my childhood. St Albans is where my first early connections with heritage, history and archaeology were formed.
I was always fascinated by the physical evidence of its long history from roman mosaics to Tudor buildings.
Like many people who have been lucky enough to call St Albans home at some point in their life, the clock tower and its door have become part of the backdrop of my memories.
It was there on my shopping trips, a meeting point when spending time with friends, an intriguing view to take in sitting on a bench munching on a gingerbread man or cream cake from the bakery. It doesn't only stand as a monument to the past, but has become part of our own personal histories.
My own artistic practice focuses on blending my own nostalgia, memories of others and longer histories. For this piece I chose processes that included the use of layers to represent the layers of history and heritage.
I used watercolours building semi translucent layers on top of each other. Different elements of the work were created on separate pieces of watercolour paper that were then cut and layered together in raised sections to create a 3-D image. Depending on the angle you view the piece at you may get a glimpse between the layers.
Medium: Watercolour paper, Watercolour, Paper cut techniques, Coloured pencils, Gel pens, Metal jump ring
Artist: Nicola Priest
