Caves

February 06, 2026

Caves

In considering ways of recording my experiences, I explored a cave near Matlock. I made observational sketches inside the cave in torchlight and in candlelight and took sound recordings and photographs. I walked around and explored for a bit, and also sat still for a while in pitch darkness.

I experienced some different feelings within the cave- there was a feeling of being held by the earth, like a comfortable entombment, and there was a different feeling which was like disorientation, and also a sense of isolation as well as existential insignificance and deep fear. I greatly enjoyed the sounds of dripping water, which allowed my brain to ‘see’ the cave's layout in the darkness.

The cave itself was a disused mine, and there was a light shaft in the ceiling near the entrance, providing the only glimpse of the outside world. The light felt strangely alien in the dark world of the cave, so I made a charcoal drawing in an attempt to convey this. I used watercolour to describe the colours of the light hitting the rock at different depths. I feel like the drawing achieved my aims well, and I like the idea of displaying it on the ceiling, so the viewer would look up and experience a similar sensation than I did. I am considering recreating the piece in a larger scale so that it can be more effectively viewed that way.

I have also experimented with using the pigment that I made from Hemlock Stone rock in my cave pieces. I feel that the use of ground up rock would contribute to the natural feeling of the works, and I like the texture that is created when the pigment separates during drying- it looks like the surface of stone.

I experimented with painting it over charcoal, but I wasn't pleased with the way in which the pigment interacted with the charcoal- it turns it grey, making it more difficult to convey different depths with the charcoal. I could place the pigment first before the charcoal, but part of the purpose of painting it is to set the charcoal to stop it from smudging, so it feels like a missed opportunity to do it that way. I need to experiment further- perhaps I will try combining the powdered rock with watercolour or ink.

I have also made a large charcoal piece inspired by the sense of disorientation I felt in the cave. I was recently reading back in some of my old journal entries from around 10 years ago, and I was surprised to discover a part where I use the metaphor of being in a cave to describe feeling lost with no way out of a situation. I've been wondering whether the metaphor of a cave is more significant to me than I realised, and whether this had subconsciously influenced my choice of exploring caves in my art.

In the diary entry, I talk about how every tunnel seems to only lead deeper into the cave, and I wanted to convey this feeling within my drawing. I started out with drawing doorways/tunnels, taking inspiration from the photographs and sketches I made in the cave. I took great care with their placement on the page, wanting to create a balanced asymmetrical composition that would keep the viewer's gaze within the central area of the page (keeping them stuck in the cave).

I like the way that the perspectives change slightly as you look at the different doorways- I feel that it adds a sense of disorientation. My original intention was to colour the piece, however once I saw the completed charcoal sketch, I felt that colour wouldn't add anything to it, and it reminded me of the way in which colours seem to fade in the darkness. I do wonder whether the piece would benefit from being darker over-all, so that it's clear that it depicts the interior of the cave (rather than exterior).