Saturday, March 14, 2009

Semi-Subterranean Circle


Semi-Subterranean Circle, originally uploaded by escher1.

I went down to the River Lune today with no pre-conceived ideas on what I was going to make. I walked along the bank , through the woods and up to the viewing point on the side of the hill where the bench is. Here a very large tree had come down and had created a lot of debris. I saw a wonderfully curved branch, I couldn't tell if it had grown like that or whether the force of the falling tree and bent it like that. I cut it from the tree along with three other branches and then racked my brains for some inspiration. Nothing seemed to come.

I decided to look for another place to build something so I shouldered my pack, camera, camera bag, tripod and the three sturdy branches and set off back down the hill. I was really glad that I didn't encounter anyone as I must have looked like a madman!

Eventually I settled on a spot right next to the Crook itself and the steep bank soon grabbed my imagination.

This was constructed by inserting the branch into the ground and smearing it with mud to make it more symmetrical. I then placed the flattened river stones, to trace the bottom of the circle, into the bank. Then I worked more mud into the bank around and inside the circle to make the area more smooth and to hide the grass roots stickign out of the mud.

It was very windy today and my hands have still not thawed out while I am typing this. Wet muddy hands in strong winds does not promote dexterity. I had to stop for 20 minutes at one point as I couldn't feel my fingers and couldn't place the stones. I can't wear gloves though as I need to feel the materials. Roll on summer!

3 comments:

EmandaJ said...

Hello Richard, This work makes me smile. I love it. Emanda

ArtPropelled said...

Such a fantastic idea! I so enjoy reading the thoughts behind each piece. Being able to walk alone for miles mulling over ideas is quite a privelege. Here in SA there is always the niggle that you could be mugged at any moment. I miss solitary walks.....but I love to read about yours. Very inspiring!

Richard Shilling said...

Thank you. I really like this one too. But it leaves me with a weird feeling. I find it quite strange to like my own work, it is as though someone else made it. As I had no idea it would look like it did until I had finished it feels like it just made itself and I was just an observer. I really can't get my head round it. I am weird like that!