An Art Walk in the Forest of Dean

Sara Rickard takes groups of local people on a walk through the forest to write, draw and take photographs and simply observe their surroundings. Canopy Arts was set up during Covid when the artists who live in the forest found themselves especially isolated and now runs monthly or fortnightly walks for both seasoned artists and walkers who want to be creatively inspired by the magical atmosphere of this part of the world. Sharon who moved there a year ago is fascinated by what she calls the edgeland that this area is. Sandwiched between the River Severn and the River Wye, the Forest of Dean is actually in Gloucestershire but sometimes feels as though it should be in Wales. It has a long history of free mining and Foresters are traditionally independent in spirit. Clare taps into her own artistic side and joins the group painting with feathers, writing about the landscape and rubbing gravestones.

Producer: Maggie Ayre