WICKEN FEN VISION AREA SERIES
During 2017 and 2018 Mike has been working to capture and then re-work a series of waterways and wetlands imagery in magical Wicken Fen and also in the wider Vision Area. These watercolours and oils have evolved in that time to become more and more impressionistic, especially in the spring of 2019. However, the ecological features always creep in - so migrating House-martins, the mass flowering of Arrowhead and the fauna within the aquatic environment are never far away. This series also captures what the restoration of the Vision Area to fenland and wetland habitats could look like – with abundant wildlife, natural extensive wet grasslands and the accompanying large grazing animals and re-established Common Crane. Less than 1% of original fen survives in East Anglia, of which Wicken Fen is a fragment. Despite growing to 358 hectares, the nature reserve is too small and isolated to guarantee the survival of all of its rare and numerous species, and under pressure from the increasing numbers of people seeking its peace and tranquillity. The vision for restoring the fenland landscape can only be encouraged, the only question is whether it can be achieved before climate change crashes in, reclaiming these lowlands as brackish lagoons and saltmarsh.
