Ancestors : Eoin Cox

ANCESTORS waiting, wakeing, walking

ANCESTORS

Eoin Cox

(Above) The Guardians 2009, Painted wood

(Opposite) Sentinels 2009, Painted wood

This work comes from the ancient hill, the standing stone ….. the lost bog of my unconscious. Within it is contained the possibility of communicating directly with the viewer and holder of the work at its most primitive level. There are tribes, faiths and journeys that I have never knowingly been in contact with in this life, held within the images.

Some real travels have taken me to Saharan, Iberian, Mongolian and Viking places and it’s been absorbed.

Porous boundaries which are Shamanic, Islamic or Prehistoric in nature have been crossed. Without expressing them by name or form, I have tried to suggest the idea of object, symbol and language.

I’ve maybe been here before .. probably Gael, maybe Inuit, Lapp, Celtic, Pictish, Squamish, Touareg or whatever … I am however sure that the conscious is fused with the unconscious through time.

The paintings and wooden tablets are storylines in themselves and come from that dwam. Colourful, non-descript, ancestoral messages capture a moment in time from a ancient place … it’s my journey through waiting for it, wakeing up to it and walking with it.

August 2010

Awake Walk I 2009, Painted wood

Awake Walk II 2009, Painted wood

Waiting Lines III 2009, Acrylic on board

Awake Walk III 2009, Painted wood

Awake Walk IIII 2009, Painted wood

Red Kilmartin I 2009, Painted wood

Awake Walk IIIII 2009, Painted wood

Journey Five 2009, Painted wood

The Insiders 2009, Painted wood

(Opposite) The Ancestors 2009, Painted wood

Men of Sticks I 2009, Painted wood

The Lintonites 2009, Painted wood

Castros I 2008, Acrylic on Canvas

Wee Castros 1-4 2008, All acrylic on board

Men of Sticks II 2009, Painted wood

(Opposite) Linn III 2009, Painted wood

Walking Awake Ochre I 2009, Acrylic on canvas

Walking Awake Ochre II 2009, Acrylic on canvas

Walking Awake Ochre III 2009, Acrylic on canvas

Long Ago Time Series 2009, Painted wood

Long Ago Time Series 2009, Painted wood

Roughtin’ Linn I 2009, Painted wood

Roughtin’ Linn II 2009, Painted wood

Walk Wake I 2009, Acrylic on canvas

Walk Wake II 2009, Acrylic on canvas

Walk Wake III 2009, Acrylic on canvas

Cornered II 2009, Acrylic on canvas

Cornered III 2009, Acrylic on canvas

Cornered IV 2009, Acrylic on canvas

Cornered I 2009, Acrylic on canvas

Tall Folk I 2009, Acrylic on canvas

Tall Folk II 2009, Acrylic on canvas

A native of Fife, Eoin has been involved in Scottish communities, landscapes and cultural heritage for more than 30 years. During this time he worked as a research geologist and field archaeologist specialising in prehistoric and medieval Scotland. He has also worked in Russia, Central Asia, Saharan Africa and Scandinavia A chance meeting with the late Tim Stead, sculptor and furniture maker saw them form a nucleus of local people in the Scottish Borders into what became the first community woodland buyout in Britain in 1985. Borders Community Woodland has been a international model of community engagement ever since.

In 1995, WWF asked No Butts (a company formed by Eoin and Tim) to explore the potential for a large Scottish based, woodland centred Millennium Project, quickly to become Millennium Forest For Scotland Trust. They were instrumental in being founding Trustees of Borders Forest Trust.

Eoin founded and focussed on the economic restoration element of native woodland around Woodschool, a truly unique centre for local timber utilisation.

This unique collective of furniture designer / makers was widely recognised as an exemplar of social enterprise within Europe for the furniture, forestry and creative industries. Committed to raising awareness of Scotland’s new makers and users of local hardwoods and indeed all traditional applied arts and crafts, he received an MBE in 2002 for his work in small business development in Scotland.

He has provided extensive technical, commercial and strategic advice to companies, organisations and individuals throughout Europe, USA, Japan and Australia involved in value added, multi-benefit forestry. He is a Director of Galgael Trust, a community enterprise in Govan which addresses the use of local timber in traditional boat building. He is also a strong advocate of social capital, capacity and entrepreneurship.

Eoin left Woodschool in 2008 to concentrate on his furniture and designer craft business at Buy Design Gallery, near Jedburgh and to engage in more direct community development.

He is currently involved in a research project on Sustainable Development and Craft at St Andrews University and has recently completed a comprehensive policy statement for Arts, Heritage and Culture for Scotland’s Community Woodland Association.

Eoin Cox MBE Buy Design Gallery Harestanes Craft Workshops

by Ancrum, Jedburgh Scottish Borders TD8 6UQ www.buydesigngallery.com www.eoincox.com

Shelter Wall II 2008, Acrylic on board

Shelter Wall III 2008, Acrylic on board

ANCESTORS Š Eoin Cox MBE Buy Design Gallery August 2010 www.buydesigngallery.com