Jakki Trainor
A Skulk of Foxes
The wonderfully descriptive words 'earth', 'leash' and 'skulk' are used to describe a group of two or more foxes. Using either 'to skulk' or 'a skulk', the word seems to perfectly express the intentions and movements of a fox. Derived from the Norwegian dialect word skulka, it means "to lie in wait" or "to lurk."
The poor old fox has a bad reputation stemming back to the fifteenth century. Reynard, or sometimes Reynardine, was a cunning, cowardly fox appearing in a series of French folk stories - a sort of trickster figure constantly in trouble with his other animal friends and up to various capers. While friends who keep chicken coops are certainly not fond of Reynard and have shared stories of the determination with which he breaks into their elaborately constructed chicken 'forts', I personally admire the playful nature, boundless energy, cheeky devilment and of course the stunning good looks of red-haired Reynard. Do we not all have our good and bad points?
This series of panels showcases the fox's skulking and darting movements, captured using the ceramic technique of sgraffito. The effect is achieved by scratching through a layer of painted on underglaze to reveal the lower layer of contrasting colour clay. The minimalist palette of colours is intended to focus the viewer's attention on the furtive foxes as they weave their way through the deepening darkness.