Pebble Square Diptych - one week elapsed

Pebble Square Diptych, originally uploaded by e s c h e r.

This was created for the Land Art Connections Project on Flickr. This months theme being Time.

I created this about a month ago. The top picture was from that day, I built it on the platform so that it would be set against the shallow water of the river.

A week later I went back along to that section of the River Lune to see if it was still there. Whilst I was walking along the bank approaching the place I was disappointed to see it had gone. "Someone must have kicked it over" I thought.

A little way along my partner had made another sculpture, a line of stones along the waters edge. As I approached I realised that the river level had dropped considerably. The line of pebbles was now beached feet away from the water.

I realised then that my pebble square sculpture might indeed still be there as I was looking for something in the water when I was searching.

Lo and behold as I went over to the spot there it was camouflaged amongst the shingle. I was very surprised to see it there! Whilst it was very obvious when on the water it wasn't until I was right upon it that I could see it.

It hadn't rained at all in the intervening week so I guess it shouldn't have been a surprise to discover the level had dropped. I try to reveal aspects of nature and its cycles with my art and returning a week later had shown me a little about the behaviour of the river.

Also you may notice that in the original picture the orange/brown stones in the top right hand corner are darker than orange ones in the bottom row. At the time I though they were different types of sandstone but once the pebbles had dried it became clear that they were the same but one set was wetter than the other.

Does anyone want something built in their garden or on their land?

Recently someone has very kindly offered me the opportunity to create some sculptures on their land. If anyone wants me to come along and make something in their garden or on a piece of land they own then please get in touch and I'll see what I can sort out. I am open to any suggestions that anyone may have so feel free to drop me a line if you are interested.

Wintry Cumbrian fells from Clougha Pike and Sun God Cairn

Wintry Cumbrian fells from Clougha Pike and Sun God Cairn, originally uploaded by e s c h e r.

Here is some video footage of the Cumbrian fells covered in snow shot from Birk Bank on Clougha back in February.

This is from when I built the Sun God Cairn which can be seen at the end of the clip. The views were absolutely sensational that day. Earlier that morning the light for photography was amonsgt the best I had experienced in this part of the world and with the snow on the mountains and the low bank of cloud, I really couldn't have asked for more.

Once again it is best to click play then pause to let the whole thing download before playing it. I do not have the capacity to deinterlace my videos, Flickr's Progressive scan codec makes some of videos a little weird so if you experience any problems watching it in HD then switch to low res.

Dock Leaf Sun Squares

Dock Leaf Sun Squares, originally uploaded by e s c h e r.

Well I liked the dock sun circle so much and with the sun still shining I just had to make something along the same theme. By the time I had finished the third one the leaf in the first was starting to wilt, so I had to be quick to set them up and grab a picture.

These are made out of the same sticks as the vortex cone, pinned together with thorns with a dock leaf section in the middle.

Colin: If you are cycling up to Littledale tomorrow (and you read this) then I left these there. They are right above the smaller crag to the right of the parking area (if facing uphill towards the col and the farm). They might not make it through the night though. Those sheep up there will eat anything!

Dock Leaf Sun Squares, originally uploaded by e s c h e r.

Dock Leaf Sun Squares, originally uploaded by e s c h e r.

Vortex Spiral

Vortex Spiral, originally uploaded by e s c h e r.

Some of the pictures I took yesterday were technically poor. They were focussed on the back of the cone and the front wasn't sharp. Fine for shrunken photos but not good for printing. It was another beautiful day today so I headed back up to Littledale to take some more pictures in the same spot.

Being a glutton for punishment I remade that troublesome 5th layer and had to spend more time reconstructing it. It was worth it though and the whole thing sat together better.

I didn't really notice how nice the shadow looked until I looked at the photos at home yesterday, so this time I got some more of it in particular. The sun was high up and strong meaning strong contrast and a great shadow. I am glad I made the effort.

Vortex Cone, originally uploaded by e s c h e r.

Vortex Cone Close-up, originally uploaded by e s c h e r.

Vortex Cone

Vortex Cone, originally uploaded by e s c h e r.

An alternative title for this would be ARRRGGGHHH!

What a total pain in the backside this was. I had to carry it up onto the rocks to take the photos and several sections came apart as I did so. I picked a spot and started to assemble it. Each time I would get another layer fixed on, one underneath would come loose. This happened over and over again to the point where I wanted to throw it off the cliff! Finally I did get it fully assembled then the sun went in, the wind got up and blew it over! Grrrrrrr...

So I started again trying to assemble it, perhaps twenty times before I got it ready again. Now ready with my camera I looked at it through the viewfinder, something wasn't right. It needed to be straighter. So I went right ahead and undid what had just taken me half an hour to do. I know, "anal" doesn't quite say it.

As I tried to get the 5th from the top section on it split, snapped the thorns holding it together and pinged open. No! Very carefully I reassembled this circle and hoped that it would just hold together long enough to get the rest on top. Finally I managed it an hour and a half later, fully assembled and ready to go. Yet it still wasn't symmetrical enough to my eye. Now, though, it had reached the point where any more fiddling would have meant its demise and I would have to go home with no shots at all. That's ephemeral land art for you - you can only push it so far.

This is made entirely from thorns, sticks and twigs - nothing else. I had no plans today for what I was going to do or where I was going to do it. It is a fine warm day, there is nice light and beautiful skies so I just had to do something (what was it I said about typical Easter weather)? When I awoke this morning the first thing that popped into my head was a cone made out of concentric circles. I didn't know if it would be possible but I thought I would try. The result isn't as neat and tidy as I would have liked, hopefully the next attempt (if the therapy will help me forget the tribulations with this one) will be neater.

I liked the spiral shadow this cast, that is why I chose the name for this sculpture. This is another where I cannot decide which photos are best.

Vortex Cone, originally uploaded by e s c h e r.

You can see where the circle split in this picture, on the 5th ring down.

Vortex Cone, originally uploaded by e s c h e r.

Vortex Cone, originally uploaded by e s c h e r.

Vortex Cone, originally uploaded by e s c h e r.

Dock Leaf Sun Circle

Dock Leaf Sun Circle, originally uploaded by e s c h e r.

The weather was typical for Easter. Overcast, dull and drizzly. I gathered some materials locally and spent the day at home working on some new ideas. I've been practicing making circles with newly grown shrubs, twigs and branches and I made a miniature bowl with beech leaves and a concentric circle design. All for another day.

I wanted to do something with new green leaves and so I collected some dock leaves and pinned them to a circular frame I had made. It was just crying out for some sunlight to make it look its best.

The weather was kind to me and as I headed up to the hills a few breaks in the cloud started to appear and soon after it brightened up more. The breeze was very light, which was fortunate as this piece was extremely flimsy, but it seemed as the sun broke through so did the wind start to intensify. Each section of leaf started to flap or come away from the frame. This can be the most frustrating (but also most satisfying) part of ephemeral land art: trying to keep it together long enough to takes its photograph. It collapsed soon after getting these shots.

In keeping with the ethos of my land art, this sculpture demonstrates the new growth of spring. The fresh twig growth means that it is possible to make a circle as they are pliable and soft enough to shape and to hold together. Later in the season this would not be possible. The delicate new dock leaves displaying their fresh green-ness reveal something about Spring too.

I can't decide which picture is best hence the gaggle of shots presented here, and there are still more that I wanted to post.

Using thorns and leaves is difficult, that is why there are so many holes in the leaves. They tear and break so easily. One day I want to be skillful enough to make something like this perfectly so the green is a solid slab of colour. There is always something new to learn and techniques to perfect. I wouldn't want it any other way!

Dock Leaf Sun Circle, originally uploaded by e s c h e r.

Dock Leaf Sun Circle, originally uploaded by e s c h e r.

Dock Leaf Sun Circle, originally uploaded by e s c h e r.

Spore in Motion

Spore in Motion, originally uploaded by e s c h e r.

It's been very windy today so it was time to unleash the spore!

It tried very hard to spread its genetic material but it couldn't roll for long before it became too broken to move. Let's hope it was successful and many baby spores are the result.

(The best way to play videos is to press play then pause so the whole thing downloads. Then you can play it all without it stopping. This especially required if Flickr is slow or has the hiccups).

Ps. Apologies for the quality. This was fimed in rich 1080i HD but the recoding on Flickr really ruins the quality. Still you get the idea!

Dandelion and Hazel Spheres

Dandelion and Hazel Spheres, originally uploaded by e s c h e r.

This is what I wanted to make yesterday but the cold-shy dandelions meant it wasn't possible.

Still, I have learnt a lot about dandelions this week. I saw one appear last week but I couldn't find any others. When I was driving home one afternoon a few days ago suddenly there were hundreds that had flowered in unison. Especially by the road outside the university. However at work the next day (40 odd miles away) there were very few. But then the day after that they sprouted altogether there too. It seems that their flowering is daylight or temperature related and when they do flower they seem to do so all at the same time, at least they do in the same area.

I knew that they closed up at night but I also learnt that if it is cold and windy they stay closed up, as they did yesterday. I think it needs to be at least 12 degrees C for them to open.

Spring is finally here (I am sure it will take a break over Easter - always does!), and it gladdens the heart to say so.

Dandelion Tower

Dandelion Tower, originally uploaded by e s c h e r.

Today the morning is bright and warm. Warm enough for the dandelions to open their flowers.

This sculpture is constructed from sections of reed grass, pinned with thorns with a chain of hazel rings hanging down, each with a dandelion held in the middle. Everything was collected nearby.

There was a light breeze and it was making it very tough trying to get this sculpture to stand up long enough to take its picture.

Now Spring has arrived and my normal trick of picking a beautiful spot to take a photo and then building something is proving to be more difficult to do as the materials I am now using are in fields, woodland and parks. It is more difficult to take a striking photo in these places. Over the next few months I will have to try and bring my photography up to the same level for these places.

Dandelion Tower View, originally uploaded by e s c h e r.

Hazel Balls

Hazel Balls, originally uploaded by e s c h e r.

It's still cold and windy and the dandelions don't want to show their faces so I am experimenting with a few ideas before I can make the sculpture that I have in mind.

Hazel Box

Hazel Box, originally uploaded by e s c h e r.

The temperature has dropped today after several days of warmth. The first dandelions appeared a few days ago and I want to do something with them.

The drop in temperature means none of the flowers have opened today, now it is lunchtime and I am still waiting.

It is also very windy so anything fragile would not survive. I have had to resort to some indoor photography until the weather improves and the dandelions show their little yellow faces.

This box is made from hazel twigs with a line of tiny, fresh hazel leaves hanging in the middle. The have only appeared in a last few days and are wrinkled like toes in the bath as they wait to expand to full size.

Spore

Spore, originally uploaded by e s c h e r.

I saw some great teasels by the side of the road on my way home from work and I just had to do something with them.

When I had time to stop one evening I parked up nearby and went to get them. I had neglected to take any gloves or anything to cut them down and I am now sporting several hundred splinters!

Once home I wove a ball from pliable twigs and inserted the teasels to create a three-dimensional star. I then went looking for somewhere to take a picture or two.

I must have four heads! Every car, cyclist and pedestrian who passed me just stared at me open mouthed! I got so fed up with them in the end (I can normally act oblivious but this was too much) that I just stared back. This resulted in a sudden realisation how much they were staring, a closed mouth and a rapid exit to be on their way.

I am sure I am sometimes an unusual sight (especially first thing in the morning) but hasn't anyone seen someone clutching a giant spore before? I mean come on!