AK9 A Contract with Nature I - Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

Contract Only series (on indenture paper).
I acquired a small collection of Indenture documents about 4 years ago, not knowing what to do with them but hoping they could be incorporated into a piece at some point.
This exhibition has given me the perfect opportunity… the idea came with the thought that if we do not start prioritizing nature and start legally giving wildlife greater priority it will be lost. I feel we treat the planet as ‘humans first’ and nature second not understanding that there will be no humans without nature!
These documents date from around 1850 and are beautifully made and are fascinating snippets of history.
The first two pieces I made in this series, the redpoll and woodpecker, were painted and stitched
directly into the contract. The paint was used as a guide only and was easily removed as I stitched due
to the shiny surface of the paper.
Stitching into the indenture paper was challenging and unforgiving. Once a small needle hole was formed it couldn’t be repaired or disguised, it was however a beautiful surface to stitch into. I carefully removed the wax seal and ribbon from the base of the original document and restitched it within the final piece.
This sparrow-sized woodpecker, with its black and white plumage and red crown, has been lost from many of its former haunts.
It is the smallest and least common of the three resident woodpeckers in Britain. The male is distinguished from the female by his bright red crown. It tends to nest and feed higher up and is quieter in its tapping. Lesser spotted woodpeckers start their breeding season early in the year, their drumming display one of the few indications of their presence.
Restricted to England and Wales, there have been substantial declines since the 1980s, the reasons for which remain unknown. The loss of open woodland habitats may be one factor, another may be competition with an expanding great spotted woodpecker population.

Framed H 36.5 x W 36 cm