A winter sunrise with a crane perching in a snowy pond.

The cranes featured in Clarissa James’ work are Sandhill Cranes. These cranes winter in New Mexico and arrive in their tens of thousands. In 2015, James had the opportunity to observe them at Bosque del Apache Nature Reserve which is south of Albuquerque. Watching Bosque del Apache’s live stream of the cranes during winter was one of Clarissa James’ lockdown joys whilst she was preparing for exhibitions last year.

“I have always loved cranes for their elegance and beauty. First, they found their way into my work through Japanese gilt screens and textiles. But visiting them in their world made me fall in love with them.”