A wildlife artist from Melksham recently featured on BBC Countryfile, making paints out of clay at a local woodland.
Naomi Joy Fox appeared on the show on Sunday 2nd November at Green Lane Woodland near Trowbridge, making paints from clay she had dug out of the soil, using them to finish a painting of bats.
“It was a really amazing experience,” said Naomi. “It was just me and a small crew in a woodland; it was very beautiful and very casual and calm, which was really lovely.”
Naomi has been working on a project with Arts Council England, exploring wildlife at local Wiltshire Wildlife Trust sites and using pigments dug from the soil to create her art.
The opportunity to appear on Countryfile came after Naomi spent time researching at Green Lane Woodland.
“I have been researching there and talking to the woodland warden,” Naomi said. “Within types of clay and soil, different amounts of iron and oxide create different ochres. You can dry out these clays, grind them down, like I did on the show, and mix them with a binder to make a paint.”
Naomi is a wildlife artist specialising in painting local wildlife, producing detailed and emotive works that advocate for conservation and animal rights.
“Being on TV with my artwork is not something I ever thought would happen, but it was really incredible and it all felt like a whirlwind,” she said. “Even at a baby class recently someone said, ‘Did I see you on TV the other night?’ It’s very strange that about eight million people have watched me now.”
Having lived in Melksham for three years, Naomi said the town is well connected to the countryside.
“I absolutely love living in Melksham,” she said. “We are right opposite the fields in the countryside, and there are so many Wiltshire Wildlife sites around us doing really amazing work. I didn’t even know Green Lane Woods existed until we started the project, and it’s such a gem in the middle of Melksham and Trowbridge that I had no idea was there. It is an incredible find.”
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