Branigan is based in Grizedale Forest and her work encompasses wood engraving, woodcuts and drypoint techniques.
She has established a reputation for her tree ring prints made using pieces or slices of tree trunks.
The National Trust commissioned her to produce five commemorative artworks using a 90cm diameter disc of the felled tree’s trunk.
The charity said it was working with “various partners and artists to ensure there is an enduring legacy of the tree informed by the huge public response to its loss”.
“Individually themed, named and coloured, the giant tree prints show every tree ring, groove and detail from the cross-section of the almost heart shaped trunk of the 200-year-old tree,” the National Trust said.
Five prints are to be displayed at publicly accessible and free to enter locations: Newcastle City Library, Hexham Abbey – which will host two prints – Housesteads visitor centre on Hadrian’s Wall and Carlisle Tourist Information Centre.
The exhibition will run until 1 September 2024 and then all five prints will go on display together at The Queen’s Hall, Hexham, from 6 September until 19 October 2024.
Each ‘Heartwood’ print has a name linked to the Sycamore Gap tree and its historic location. A National Trust video shared on YouTube (above) details the process.
‘Knowledge’ is in gold ink; ‘Spirituality’ is blue, ultramarine ink, with iridescent electric blue, purple and hansa yellow watercolours; ‘Landscape’ is burnt umber ink with sap green and yellow ochre watercolour; ‘History’ is Venetian red ink and hansa yellow deep watercolour.
The fifth print, ‘Access’ has been blind embossed through being hand pressed onto heritage rag paper “presenting a tactile experience, inviting touch along the rings of the tree”.
Branigan said she felt privileged to be asked to print Sycamore Gap, and also felt a responsibility to do her best “so that I could honour not only the tree itself but all the people who loved the tree too”.
“As a north easterner I have known Sycamore Gap all my life and visited regularly, the tree was such a haven in the wild landscape,” she said.
“The actual process of printing the Sycamore gap has been epic. It's a really big piece and a slow process due to it all being done by hand, first creating a printable surface from the rough wood, then applying traditional inks, before beginning the slow process of printing using a bone folder tool so that I can reach every nuance of the surface.
“The paper is laid on top and becomes embossed with the 3D shape of the wood and tree rings, which are the embodiment of the landscape in tree cellular form. It's taken several hours, and my muscles are definitely aching after the effort – but, now that the series of prints are complete, I am pleased and proud of my work.
She added: “It's a testament to the tree, to the life of that tree and the lives of other trees to see, to work with it, to see its life, to appreciate it."
The National Trust is also working with Branigan to produce a special ‘Heartwood’ print that will go on sale, with more details to come later this year.
