Lime-washed Flintstone Drawing, Rabley Drawing Centre, Wiltshire 

As part of her solo exhibition at The Rabley Contemporary Drawing Centre near Marlborough in Wiltshire in September 2005 Kate made her first earthwork drawing. The piece was inspired by the beauty of the land at the 700 acre Rabley farm. The drawing was made in a field behind the gallery located a few fields away from an ancient burial site or tumulus. The drawing was made in a 250ft ploughed section of the barley field over a four week period from the middle of August and was completed on 6/9/06. In preparation, the soil was raked by hand twice in order to turn the surface, remove the grass stubble (after ploughing) and to uncover the many pieces of flint that lay on and just below the surface. The flints were then collected together forming small pools of flint near where they were found in the soil. From a distance they formed little pathways to the centre of the field. A chalk/lime clay was then mixed by hand and used to dip the pieces of flint stone creating their white covering. The lime-covered flint was then placed on the soil in response to the energy of the land. The drawing emerged from this process in the moment and was not pre-conceived. The piece was a temporary project, as the barley crop has grown over the drawing. Photographs of the drawing were taken from a helicopter (with the kind support of John Green) and also a short video was made of the flight over the work. 

Thanks to Meryl and Andrew Ainslie for welcoming this drawing to their land.

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