17/06/2026
Ann Norfield’s etching ‘Fire in the Rock’ came about as a result of a combination of ideas all condensed into the one print.
Ann says,
“Last year I made a series of sugarlift plates based on coastal landscapes from around the UK. These began as I thought about what people see as they approach across the sea in small boats, hoping for safe land. Making and thinking are very much intertwined in my practice and as I developed the series the more the images became about the LACK of security offered in actuality. I depicted fragmented shores, collapsing cliffs, swathes of toxic mist and wildfires. I thought back to people in small boats crossing the Channel and the treatment most will receive when they arrive and it was this that gave rise to ‘Fire in the Rock.’ The climate crisis in the earlier prints triggered a parallel metaphor for societal decline.
In addition (of course! Monkey brain!) I also recalled a story I’d heard about Hannibal crossing the Alps in which he tackled an impassable rockfall by lighting fires around the base of the biggest blockage then pouring vinegar onto it to crack the rock. I loved the story and the visual quality of it. So…Climate crisis, migration, societal disintegration and Hannibal all came together in the one image!”
“ Fire in the Rock” is included in this year’s Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy. Ann teaches etching courses most seasons East London Printmakers
