Description

Sarah Gillespie, Ermine Moths, a limited edition mezzotint, 2019. This is part of a series of 20 images of  common British moths. While they do appear regularly in Britain, now they are sadly all in danger.  Over a year, Sarah Gillespie  became fascinated by these delicate and much misunderstood creatures and observed her subjects in enormous and careful detail.  She has become concerned at the 30% losses  in moth populations, which are greater than for any other species. This has happened because we are just so ignorant about moths. Her mission is to help us to see them more clearly. So, as a viewer, you will be well rewarded. The images repay endless close scrutiny mirroring that of the artist in  her close study. Mezzotint is a hard and specialised technique, and as a result, the prints are all in small editions.

Sarah Gillespie is an exhibitor in Bugs Beauty and Danger, where she is showing 14 of her moth images. You can read more about her and the context in which we are showing her work.  https://www.groundworkgallery.com/exhibition/current-exhibition/

A new interview with the artist

Read an in-depth interview with Sarah Gillespie by writer Karen Eng. https://groundworkgallery.com/sarah-gillespie/

Some details about Ermine moths

Family: Arctiidae; Same family as Tiger moths;
Description Wingspan 36-46 mm
Wing colour varies from white to creamy buff to brown, with varying numbers of small black spots.

Caterpillar feeds on a wide range of herbaceous plants including Common Nettle and Dock.
Habitat: Found in most rural and urban habitats including gardens, hedgerows, grassland, heathland, moorland, woodland and on the coast.
Common and well distributed throughout Britain, the Isle of Man and Ireland. Also abundant in the Channel Islands. but also a priority species for research