Julia Manning is an artist-printmaker living in Somerset. She is a member of The Society of Wildlife Artists and of The Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers. A nature lover from a young age, she finds inspiration all around her, whether on far-flung travels or at home in her garden.
My first experience of moth-trapping came during one of my frequent stays in the islands off Pembrokeshire. One summer I was staying on Skokholm, where the wardens would regularly set a trap to monitor the moths. I would wander over to have a look at the night’s catch with them. And that was it - I was hooked!
It was the sight of a Jersey Tiger basking in my own garden, though, that made me race to my computer to order my own moth-trap a couple of summers ago. It’s a Heath trap that I run from an old caravan battery out on the patio. We’re in a good spot - there’s a derelict site next door and my garden is very much a wildlife garden. All moths are a wonderment, but I do love the tigers. Another favourite has to be the Lappet – that has to be the oddest moth I have caught. What an amazing creature with incredible camouflage and that little snout.
It was during the first lockdown at the start of 2020 that I set myself the challenge of sketching one moth each day – my daily moth diary. It was such a nice thing to look forward to every morning – going out to the trap to see what was there. The Hawk-moths were great to sketch – they will just sit there. Others weren’t so obliging, and I did lose a few in the studio which I would find and release the next morning!
My sketches became a series of prints entitled ‘My Garden Moths’. I make woodcuts – I love working with wood; plywood or planks but I also combine with linocuts too. The image is built up slowly, layer upon layer, colour upon colour. The moth prints were exhibited, last year, in London at The Mall Galleries and The Bankside Gallery.
Nature is a constant source of fascination for me – there’s always something new to discover. I’m currently working with the Somerset Wildlife Trust on a funded project entitled ‘Somerset’s Brilliant Coast’ I’m producing a saga in print of the drastic decline of the eels in Somerset, covering their amazing life cycle and the effects of Climate Change, pollution and people.
Julia Manning has very generously donated two of her stunning moth prints to our 2021 Spring Auction.
See more of Julia’s work on her website.
Follow Julia on Instagram: @juliamanningartist