Chalk is a hugely significant part of the South Downs geology and there is a poignancy in that it was once living organisms. I find chalk in abundance where I live and it provides me with a powerful connection to the landscape when I am working in the studio. I grind down the lumps into a powder using a sturdy pestle and mortar and then mix it with a medium to apply it to my canvas. I repeat this process several times, sanding each coat in between. The chalky ground causes the paints and inks that I use to behave in particular ways; pooling, staining and marking the canvas.