Whaup

Collagraph by Hester Cox. Variable Edition 2/25, paper size 23 ¾” x 16”. Available framed for £355 (framed version is pick-up only).

Curlews, particularly their calls, have often been considered the bearers of bad tidings. Across the UK various communities believed that the sound of the birds flying at night, probably during migration, were spirits that foretold of a calamity or a death in the family. They were sometimes known as the Seven Whistlers. I find this in direct opposition to my own feelings of joy at hearing the first curlew returning to the Dales in February signifying to me that spring is coming. With consideration to their status as critically endangered, I have chosen to represent this duality in my collagraph Whaup, this is the old Scottish name for the curlew.