The Living Mountain

Double hand-dyed silk with over stitched embellishments featuring open, french-link stitched binding, plus an internal pocket.

26cm x 18cm (136 pages)

Nan Shepherd wrote ‘The Living Mountain’ towards the end of the Second World War, but it then lay unpublished until 1977. Most books about mountains have been written by men, often concentrating on the conquering of summits, but Nan Shepherd’s book on the Cairngorms is very different. It is a series of poetic essays exploring her deep and intimate connection to the area. I have drawn my inspiration from her beautiful descriptions of rock colour; the waters of streams and lochs, and the quality of the light. I have attempted to capture these ethereal qualities in the hand-dyed silk covers which have been double-dyed and over-stitched, picking out the peaks and troughs that have occurred naturally from the dyeing process - the fastener is a piece of Mountain Ash (Rowan). Some of my favourite quotes from the book are placed in the pocket inside the front cover.