"My artwork has always primarily been inspired by the natural world and my place within it.

'The Earth’s vegetation is part of a web of life in which there are intimate and essential relations
between plants and the Earth, between plants and other plants, between plants and animals.
Sometimes we have no choice but to disturb these relationships but we should do so thoughtfully,
with full awareness that what we do may have consequences remote in time and space.'
Rachel Carson ‘Silent Spring’ 1962

This piece is based on the Eurasian Curlew, the largest wading bird in Britain. In 2015 curlews were
added to the Red List of conservation concern for birds in the UK. 65 percent of the UK population
has been lost since 1970 and, as the UK holds approximately a quarter of the global population this
is a great concern. They have many challenges and there have been big declines in breeding
populations and ranges mainly due to a number of factors; habitat loss, climate change, recreational
disturbance, the changing landscape and predation. The fact that they are ground nesting birds
makes them even more vulnerable.
In the UK several organisations are working to save the curlew including Curlew Action, the BTO,
RSPB, the Wildlife Trusts, Curlew Country and Curlew Recovery Partnership.
The name Curlew is imitative of its call, which some feel is ecstatic and a symbol of the coming
Spring, whilst others feel it is haunting. Ted Hughes wrote in his poem “Curlews”; “…Curlews in April
Hang their Harps over misty valleys…”.
In Norfolk curlews can be found on the salt marshes and mud flats in the winter and the call feels
joyous, uplifting and appropriate for the vast skies and open spaces.
The Summer Curlew sits on her nest amongst tall grasses observing the world around her. She is
decorated with creatures and plants from her environment including moths and butterflies, crickets,
grasses, heather and clover. She has a necklace of mementos; snail shells from a meal; feathers from
neighbouring ground nesting birds and even a lost ring."

Georgina Warne, February 2024


Georgina Warne, a ceramicist and printmaker, skilfully combines both practices, printing directly on clay surfaces and hand painting with sgraffito techniques. She honed her craft during her BA and MA under the guidance of eminent ceramicists Mick Casson, Alan Barret-Danes, and Geoffrey Swindell. Her artistic journey continued with a Commonwealth Foundation Fellowship in the Arts and Crafts in Papua New Guinea in 1994. This experience provided her with a unique opportunity to delve deeper into the universal connection between art and nature, as well as to investigate the local use of natural materials and pigments. Hailing from the Suffolk countryside, Georgina Warne finds inspiration in nature, documenting flora and fauna. Influenced by poets like John Clare and Richard Mabey, her artwork communicates a distinctive narrative or message, often centred around conservation themes.