SSS stands for 'Sycamore Seed Signals' and TTTTT stands for 'The Terrible Tripod Tipping Tragedy.'
The harsh winter seems to have meant that, although late, the spring bloom display has been spectacular.
At the moment the hawthorn blossom is the most amazing I have ever seen, after similar explosions of cherry and apple blossom. If you were ever to wonder how abundant hawthorns are in this part of the country then a short excursion to look over the hedges and hills will reveal white glowing bushes everywhere you can see. Each one looks like it has kept the winter snows and just drips with sweet blossom. It is really quite a sight to behold.
Because of this I wanted to make something with the blossom but try as I might no inspiration was to come. But that didn't matter, just spending some time looking at them was enough and plenty fulfilling all on its own.
I was going to make frames - circles or squares - and attach them to the blossom in an effort to draw attention to the spectacular display and to record it for posteriety so whenever I look back at my pictures I will remember the hawthorn blossom of spring 2010. But as an idea it didn't really work so instead my attention got sucked into the many colours and shapes of sycamore seeds.
I just doodled away making little constructions of grass and seeds but after experimenting with hanging them in the white blooms I noticed this broad-leaved plant growing under the shelter of the thorny bushes. I arranged my doodles on top of the leaves and was happy to leave it at that.
It was then that the 5 tees made an entrance and my camera landed face down and snapped the mount off the lens. The Terrible Tripod Tipping Tragedy had rendered my wide angle lens into several small and expensive pieces.
I cannot afford to replace it nor to get it fixed. But fortunately I have a back up and can make do until I can pay out for whatever it may cost.
I explained to my girlfriend, when she got home from work, and underlined it with "**** happens."
"It sure does" she replied "more **** things happen than good things in this world."
That's not how I see it at all (and nor does she normally, but she just finished a crappy shift at work).
"**** happens" means to me don't fret about what you can't control or change and always try to look on the bright side. I could have broken my favourite lens, which I have no backup for, and totalled my camera all at the same time. Things can always be replaced or you can make do with something else. But to go through life lamenting every little stumble along the way means that all those annoying things will have an affect way beyond what they should.
If I ever become one of those people that spends their life looking for things to disappoint them (you know the sort - the person that complains that card machine in the supermarket says 'insert your card' when all the other supermarket's machines say 'please insert your card' - this is a true tale that someone told me happened last week) then you have my permission to shoot me full of holes. No thank you, I won't be concerned if the postman comes and hour later next week or if next door hasn't cut their grass to the required neighbourhood height (inch and a half if you really want to know).
No, instead I'll be out admiring the blossom or looking at an insect hoovering up sap from the sycamore seeds I picked and the next time the card machine forgets to say please, I'll just smile to myself and feel sorry that that card machine can't go and lay in a meadow full of wild flowers and soak up the rays of the sun.
Monday, May 31, 2010
3 Esses & 5 Tees
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Nautilus Flag
I am afraid I can't quite muster the energy to write a story today. I woke this morning with a strange scar on my belly and I feel listless and tired.
My dreams were full of magic and wonder and two unicorns whisked me away to a fairy glen where I saw a vision of this sculpture grow from the ground like a seedling reaching for the sun.
The beasts took me deeper and deeper into the dark forest until it went totally pitch black and then I awoke with a headache and an aching tummy.
Perhaps it was the cheese I ate last night?
The police are appealing for witnesses and have made this Reconstruction Film. If you wish to assist the authorities and find out what happened to me last night then please watch this film (to the end) and find out whether it jogs your memory.
If that doesn't quite do it then there is this Sun/Shadow Timelapse Film instead.
Nautilus Flag Sun Shadow Timelapse
Nautilus Flag Sun Shadow Timelapse, originally uploaded by escher....
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Birch Bark Squares in the Sky
When you make too many things in a day lots of things happen that would fit well into the story but you run out of time and inclination to write them down. I never know where my stories will meander to when I start writing it, just like my art it is an intuitive process that just comes out in one go.
Today was a day for translucency. Obviously I rejoice in sun loving leaves but I want to discover what other materials in nature are translucent too.
My girlfriend suggested bark and said that if it was thin enough the light would shine through but being a know-all and big head I dismissed it out of hand. But of course she was right, in my quest to learn new things I had already decided what I knew before I had bothered to look. How typical of so much of our everyday existence. It's so easy to make your mind up without even trying or finding out and along with it comes the feeling of righteousness which is odd because without experience how would you know you were correct at all.
Whilst I was collecting some baby sycamore seeds, their hues ranging from lime-green to pink to red, she found a silver birch tree with slivers of parchment-paper bark, so we gathered some and held it up to the light. The sun shone through to reveal shades of brown and orange, different shades depending on how thick the layers were. You could peel off each layer like a cell thick three-ply tissue and the texture was just wonderful underneath my fingertips and I will have to learn more about this fascinating material.
I created small oblongs and framed them with grass. Each straight stick of reed was cut with no plan to create natural -noughts and crosses- frames so I decided to pin them all together into a grid. Each new step lead to the next, I had no idea where each new one would lead me.
I finished making it by lunchtime and I needed the sun to be lower to get its picture so I stored it out of the elements and went on to create something new. But, just before I did that and in case it didn't last all that long I positioned it against the sky and tooks its picture anyway...
Sycamore Seed Sticks
This sculpture is dedicated to my girlfiend and land art partner in crime. Just like her intuition that bark would be translucent she also saw the beauty in sycamore seeds. You can see how in these wonderful photos: Sycamore Seed Sails, Sycamore Butterflies, Sycamore Sun Star.
Ever since she made those sculptures, I've been wanting to use them myself and I loved how the newly grown ones have a range of colours from lime-green, through pink to red.
Their early season delicateness meant I couldn't be rough with them as their soft tissue would not cope so I pinned them to short stalks of grass and then pondered what to do with them next.
It was time to be pierced with a plethora of strange looks and it seemed every car occupant, dog walker and passer by wanted to ensure that we knew we were behaving weirdly. I now felt very translucent myself and we searched for somewhere where were less people around, where there were sycmmore leaves in the sunlight and where we could be at peace if just for a little while. We didn't find anywhere!
Many a time it has been said that 'a picture is worth a thousand words' or 'the camera never lies.' Well I'll let you into a little secret. The camera places a little frame around a microcosm of life, focusses in on only what is there and makes that the whole world and ignores what else is around it. I am just like that when I am concentrating making something or just out looking at a flower or a leaf. I am sure this picture is saying to you: spring sunshine, leaves and the sweet smell of flowers. Well it was true that is what it was like but what you aren't seeing is that this branch was hanging over the pavement next to a roundabout on a busy road.
It was 10 foot or so up and I ensnared it with a bent stick and pulled it down for my partner to hold while I fixed the sticks with the seeds on onto each leaf, before letting go and hoping that as it pinged upwards they would stay attached. I then crouched on the floor and took its photo, while motorists gawped and joggers stared.
But I don't think that my image is lying to you. Even in the midst of nosey people and whizzing traffic, there is beauty in a translucent leaf pierced by the mid-spring sun. If you enclose your thoughts and your senses around it then the road noise and the invasive stares fall away just like if you had enclosed it in a viewfinder frame, in a photograph or a fleeting moment. This is really what I am always trying to say, trying to experience and trying to learn about anew. That everywhere there is wondrous life of such striking beauty just there wherever you look. Always growing and changing and renewing in the epic cycle of life. Mother nature is everything and all that you need.
Birch Bark Squares in the Reeds
As the evening drew on I went to the place where I gather the dried grass and pinned the bark frame into the reeds. The sun had shone all day but now a layer of haze cut through its intensity. Some people came past wondering if I had spied a bird in the reeds but I showed them the sculpture instead. Each was surprised that it was birch bark that they saw and one thought it was glass that I had used.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
4 Holly Stars
Quite a few people seemed to like the Holly Star and had asked me for prints so I was spurred on to try something else with the spikeless holly leaves.
I made this on Sunday but the day was shrouded with thick grey cloud and a shivery breeze so all in the land were glum and sad faced :-(, even the chipper land artists were grumpy.
But praise be, today the curse was lifted and the sun shone brightly across azure skies. The land artists across the kingdom all came out to play and everyone throughout the land rejoiced as escher could once again don his wellies and stand in the stream doing funny things with bits of grass.
The wandering dog walkers did then look upon this strange sight on Tuesday lunchtime, as the jester of leaves did steal a few minutes of his lunchbreak to photo his sculpture, and they gazed upon him with contempt as this strange fellow stood bent between and betwixt the river banks behaving like a river loon. 'Boo' they did yell but he was not distracted from his task (as his lunch hour did tick past he knew he would soon have to return to work).
But hooray, the subjects of Flickr did look upon the resultant photo and rejoiced! 'That's not bad' they sang! 'I quite like it' said another!
And so the kingdom returned to normal, evil was banished from the four corners of the land and escher slept easy once more in the knowledge that the blinking thing he had made on Sunday now had had its photograph taken, and whenever he fails to do that it gets right on his piggin' nerves.
THE END
Saturday, May 08, 2010
Maple Sun Diamond
Have you heard of LARP or 'Live Action Roleplay'? It involves dressing up as hobbits, barbarians, elves and warriors and smiting each other with plastic swords. Imagine acting out Lord of the Rings with your mates on Saturday afternoon, that's LARP and it seems to be taking over from land art as the most popular strange activity to carry out in the woods, in the hope that passers-by will look at you weirdly.
I am quite used to receiving strange looks from passers by as I cobble together leaves and bits of wood. I am also quite used to battling the wind and rain and ephemeral materials when trying to create a little sculpture. What I am less used to is having an assortment of Orcs, Chinese dignatories, Roman centurions and people with blue faces wandering around in the background of my shot. I haven't yet developed any techniques to deal with such a situation perhaps using thorns and a stick and I didn't bring a plastic sword with me with which to do my own smiting.
A few years ago someone sent me some links to some LARP websites and some of the costumes were hilarious and possibly a little kinky. One person wore a full size racoon outfit complete with quiver and bow and arrow. I don't know about you but I don't remember many racoons in Lord of the Rings. And on another site accompanying the barbarians and elves were people dressed as sheep who spent their whole time on all fours being abused by the rest of the role players. I'm fairly broadminded but sheep-submissiveness was a new one on me. But hey, consenting sheep, consenting barbarian? Where's the harm?
So thinking Lord of the Rings is slightly misleading. This group of LARP'ers at the university included two people dressed as medieval Chinese, not soldiers but what looked like figures straight off of a painted plate complete with paper parasols. There was a single Roman centurion kitted out in white leather armour, helmet, shield and sword. I wonder if he wore that for his girlfriend? Or indeed whether he had one?! Then there was the guy with the blue face but the remainder stuck more closely to the Tolkien blueprint: Hobbits, Orcs, warriors and Elves. And there was one more, a guy with a clipboard and a hi-vis jacket. I haven't heard of the 'Legend of the Car Parking Attendant' so I suspect that he was actually adjudicating the whole affair (there are rules with LARP) or maybe he was on hand to administer first aid if someone got poked in the eye with a rubber spear.
I expect you want to know a little about this sculpture now? Well aren't people with blue faces enough for you? Sheesh...
I made this just over a year ago and I had been thinking about using those leaves again as they are so colourful, intricate and wonderful. They soon get ravaged by insects and the elements so it is now when they are at the most fresh and enchanting. I gathered just a few as the tree is not big and I try to take only what I need.
I'm always saying that nature helps construct each sculpture (and I am always saying that I am always saying that!) and this is the way it was with this one. I wanted to display the leaves in sunlight and so I would need to create some sort of frame on which to display them. I thought about a circle, like I did the first time but today it has been really windy and so these delicate leaves would need to be pinned to a more complex frame so that they could maintain their shape without flapping or tearing. Many times in the past the leaves have torn from their thorns which has rendered them ragged and more difficult to fix once again. So instead I made a square frame, reminiscent of oriental designs, which I thought would go with the Japanese maple.
The ends of the square overlapped so that I could chop off the excess when the thorns were in but I saw that where they overlapped I could fit the central veins of the leaves over the top. None of the leaves had right-angled veins so I made the square more diamond shaped so as to line up with the veins of each of the leaves.
As you can see from what I have explained the process of making a sculpture follows what the materials allow you to do, what the elements allow you to do and also by using the structures and properties of the materials themselves each sculpture uses the beauty of nature itself to be the main focus. I can take little credit for the end result, all I am doing is taking nature's photograph.
I don't decide I will make a cube, for example, and then find some materials and make them conform to being a cube. No, instead I look at the materials, the place, the environment and let those things guide me. If I see curved shapes then I think, sphere or circle. If I find straight lines then maybe a square or a cube.
This is the essence of my land art from start to finish. As I wander around looking at what has grown, it is the beauty, the colours, the textures, the shapes and structures that inspire me. I will then gather some of what I find and sitting still in one place I can feel the environment and sense what and how I shoud make something. And then I let the elements and materials guide me. Such a personal relationshp with these things is my solace.
Find beauty in the little things and you will find contentment. Open your senses to look, smell and feel the wonder of nature and the myriad of things that she has to offer and you will not need to look for anything else. All you need is right tlhere, right now should you be willing to look.
Should you be willing to look at pictures of LARP'ers then click on the picture and go through to Flickr and wonder at the collection of Jedi Knights and Elves underneath!
Monday, May 03, 2010
May Day Colour Totem
As I've got more and more into land art and have developed my own style with use of colour, lighting, positioning of the sculpture and selecting the natural setting in which to make, place and photo each creation, I've reached a point where I think everyone will doubt the authencity of what you see before you. Well it isn't true I tells ya!
Some of my more successful sculptures have been where time of day, the ambient light, the location and the artwork itself all came together better than I could imagine. Nearly always with these successes the final photograph requires no processing at all. The contrast and atmosphere is already punchy without me needing to adjust anything. I do very little to my pictures anyway and obsess about making sure that what is captured reflects how it was to be there. It is important to me that I try and transport the viewer to the place where the sculpture is and that they see it at its best and that it is clear that what you see is authentic, or else you may think that much of it is done in photoshop and then I feel my art would be devalued. So I put a lot of effort into choosing the right place and waiting for the right light at the right time of day.
While I was photographing this one I knew it would look good, the scudding clouds and dappled light can all produce nice results when the picture is taken at the right time.
Firstly I positioned it between two trees with a tree contrasted behind but when the sun returned the rear tree cast a perfect shadow along the entirety of the sculpture. I moved it a little to the left and then as soon as the sun hit it came alive. Leaves always do in strong light.
But when I got home and loaded up my photos I was struck by how surreal they looked and immediately thought "everyone's gonna think these are fake!"
All I did to these shots was sharpen and resize for Flickr, that's it - nada, nicht, nothing more. And about that I am as surprised as anyone!
First thing, we went out to collect leaves and to see what had grown more since last week. Nearly everything was growing now just the oak and poplar trees seemed to be lagging behind. Everywhere was full of birdsong, buzzing bees and tendrils reaching for the sun. Unlike yesterday, though, it seemed everyone else seemed to have got up early too and were already out walking their any-size pooches.
Dog watching is even more fun that people watching and it is true that owners do start to look like their dogs. And along with that I have to giggle at how owners talk to their dogs, never toning it down when in public either.
First we encountered an old lady emerge from a hedge, hands on hips and resplendent with a squeaky voice.
She was using her squeaky voice (imagine air escaping from a balloon) to scold her black lab by saying "oooh, he's so naughty, look he is doing it again, grrrrr!"
"Will you stop that, will you stop that, WILL YOU STOP THAT!!!"
She didn't seem at all perturbed that we were there, giggling at her indignance, posture and squeal, while the dog took absolutely no notice whatsoever. Tee hee!
Next two Afghan Hounds breezed past like two pairs of curtains flapping
next to an open window.
Following on was a Doberman and a Jack Russell puppy. No-one seems to have told Jack Russells that they are shorter than most dogs and I always imagine them barking out "come 'ere, I'll 'ave yer, I'll bite yer ankles, I'm not short I can have anyone!" and it was very amusing seeing him playing stick tug-o-war with the German attack dog.
Whilst bent over scooping up yellow leaves another black lab met me at face level, with wagging tail and what seemed to be a snarling growl. These two things seemed to be unmatched but my partner said "one of my friend's dogs does that, he is smiling!"
I'd never seen that before. The curled lip and the bared teeth was normally aggressive but this wiggly friendly fellow was grinning! I wanted
to take him home.
As I fussed over him along came his owner and he shouted "TREACLE! Don't jump up like that!"
I very nearly had a cardiac arrest as the shock of him shouting, as I was getting acquainted with "Treacle", was far worse than anything the dog might have done. Just like parents can't hear their own children in public it seems dog owners have a broken volume control when scolding their animals. Still, Treacle smiled at me once again, and went on his way.
As we followed behind them it struck me that choosing an appropriate name for your dog is very important. Shouting "TREACLE, come here, TREACLE don't eat that, and TREACLE stop humping that poor lady!" doesn't do a great deal for your street cred.
Sunday, May 02, 2010
Spring Beech Leaf Circle
One thing I love about making land art is solitude and peace and quiet, or is that three things?
So I will leave you in peace and quiet today by saying very little.
It was my first visit today to Tithe Barn woods when there were leaves on the trees. The atmosphere was different, tranquil but full of life.
After making sculptures there, so far only with brown, I needed to add in the new element of growth.
There's nothing wrong with brown:
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
I decided to bring together all the different beech leaves I could find. The lime-green of new growth, bleached white by the sun, mid-brown fallen leaves that were protected from the radiation and darker brown leaves, half rotten in the water.
So there you go. That's all that is needed for land art. One material, the action of the sun and some peace and quiet.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Laurel Reflections
I wasn't expecting it to have rained overnight but as it hadn't done for quite a while I knew the mixture of warmth, humid air and rain would send my garden into overdrive and mother nature too.
Went thorn hunting in the park again and already it was full up with dog walkers, push chairs and expectant wedding guests at the Ashton memorial.
Whilst heading towards the giant chamelia we found a couple more laurel bushes so I took a twig in case I decided to repeat the theme of yesterday, in anticipation of that company I mentioned yesterday wanting some images.
While we were there two boys came over to us, they were probably 8 or so, and said "there's a dead bird over there."
They looked worried.
"Is it a blackbird?" I said.
"It's black and white" they replied.
I wandered over to have a look at it was a juvenile magpie and it had probably been there a while. I told them that and then said that a fox will probably scavenge it and they shouldn't worry.
"A fox in here?" one of the exclaimed.
"There's only one thing for it" he shouted "run!"
And off they went making a very loud aeroplane noises.
I felt as excitable as they did as the maples had started to reveal new leaves and soon the pallete available to me would be huge.
We went back home and then onto the University campus as I wanted a good stretch of water to experiment with reflections.
Down by the lake a lot of work had been done: the lake had been extended, a station for barbecues replete with hobs, taps and bins has been set up, it looked an effort to reduce the burnt patches on the grass, the scattered beer cans, disposable barbecues and general waste. This intention had only been partially successful and the rubbish was now festooned around the barbecue station. overflowing out of the bins, in the lake and all around that area. The amount of rubbish in and around the lake was a real shocker and I tempted to go down there and clean it up myself but I am sure 20,000 students should be able to organise something! Or perhaps not.
Two groups of ducklings were present, one lot older and twice the size of the other. The youngest group numbered fifteen ducklings and they were the cutest of the cute. Like little motorboats zooming over the water and everytime they went on a excursion the big daddy goose ensured they were protected which was quite interesting to see. Obviously he was not their father but he guarded them wherever they went.
Later a white duck was desperately trying to get its end away with the mallard mother of the older ducklings. He was extremely rampant in his advances and the poor female was extremely distressed. Soon 10 or so mallard males joined in and tried to attack the white male, whilst the ducklings scattered. I could see why the big daddy goose wanted to protect them, they are some unruly characters amongst the coots, chickens, geese and ducks that live on that pond.
Three young lads were checking out the bird life and the eldest threw stones at the ducklings and got a ticking off from me. So he then started throwing them at the three territorial geese that had chased and hissed at me when I arrived (to everyone's amusement), so I thought twice before ticking him off again but of course I did anyway!
They came over to me and asked what I was doing, "making a sculpture" I said.
"What's a sculpture?"
"It is art made out of something like wood or stone or plasticine"
This piece of information was met with more aeroplane noises and running away. I have that effect on most people.
After we had been there a while several more barbecues had been lit, not one of them at the barbecue station and all around the field smoke billowed and individual piles of rubbish grew. But of course as we all know fairies/goblins/imaginary friends etc pick up litter so it is fine to chuck whatever you have wherever you want.
No-one except the aeroplane boys came to see what we were doing, the only visitors were an endless supply of pond scum, lily pads, weed and catkins all of which I didn't want in my shot. Each time I waded back into the water I sunk a little lower into the mud and the water nearly reached the top of my wellies.
But the more I do this, make sculptures and photograph them somewhere especially in public, the more I don't care what people think. That oft quoted Andy Goldsworthy line (that he said when handling ice in sub zero temps) "good art keeps you warm" isn't apt on a warm spring day. I prefer "my art means I don't care whether you think I am a weirdo."
This attitude comes in very handy standing in ponds, retrieving thorns from the middle of bushes and going everywhere with a plastic bag of leaves.
What won't be evident to you in these pictures is what I experienced with reflections. Through photography you pick out a moment in time, captured in an image. That snapshot can be a millisecond or several minutes. The ripples and reflections of the water left me mesmerised, each moment captured within my camera. I've decided to purchase a pair of waders and I think I will spend a lot more time standing in water, fighting off geese and being mesmerised by the water's surface all around me. Now is that weird?!
It wasn't over yet, there was more thing thign of weirdness to encounter. 'The tale of the bumless chicken.'
Whether he had had an accident or was born like I don't know but despite my amusement he wasn't so amused at my attempts to get a blurry shot of his missing bottom! It isn't nice to mock (or photograph) the afflicted! So I left him alone and went home.
Laurel Reflections
I took quite a few pictures (several hundred!) and I don't know which I like best.
The top one is backlit so the leaves glow and the sun had gone in when I took the bottom one. I'm erring towards not backlit with this set.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Red Green Laurel
I don't feel in the mood to write a story right now. But then my partner had it right "it's all part of the cycle of life."
If I had a sense of humour today then I'd probably think that a better title for this would be "Laureal - because you're worth it" but I don't so I won't! 8-)
We were talking about fate the other day and I said that I don't believe in it but I pretend to myself that I do. I don't think things are preordained in our universe but I find my life is full of happy coincidences and I choose to have faith that they happen for a reason. My rational side tells me that these coincidences are a mathmatical certainty that will happen to at least someone. But I find that believing that things are "meant to be" is just another way of engendering the feeling that every cloud has a silver lining, making my life more fulfilling and leaving me with the sense that I'm lucky in life. If you are too busy in your existence to pick up on the connections between events, or are always expecting to be disappointed or let down then many of these happy coincidences will pass you by and you will believe that you are unlucky in life. The opportunity to be lucky is right there in front of you should you wish to take it.
Making land art gives me the space to see these connections and to pick up on the happy concidences, without the time to free my mind I might miss out on them too.
We went to the framers this morning to get some Giclee prints framed up (they look amazing by the way! ;-)). We were chatting about the two orphaned lambs they had, little runts they are (in the literal sense but cute as little lambs inevitably are) and they didn't think they would survive. But a bit bigger at three weeks old with funny little characters and charming to boot, they trotted over to greet us, bleating and thinking we might have a bottle or two for them.
I told him (the framer not the lamb) that I may have some more prints to frame up soon as a company may want some of my pictures for their boardroom. Their company logo incorporates laurel leaves and I said I might make something with them but I didn't know where there were any.
"I'm no gardener" he said, "but I think that those bushes out there are laurel" And surely they were. Another happy coincidence. "take whatever you need" he said. And so I did.
I trotted down to the beck and the sunshine had brought everyone out. The chunky lambs in the field opposite were butting each other and playing harem scarem through the hedge and it was most amusing to watch.
A Japanese student listening to her Ipod came past, she obviously didn't care too much about her hearing as I could still here the tinny percussion when she was 50 yards away sat in a tree. Numerous other dog walkers, parents and toddlers came past including one toddler who needed to use their potty right there and then on the path. When you gotta go you gotta go! But then this is all quite usual on a warm Saturday in April in a fairly well frequented place.
I set up the framed laurel branch just above the water and set about getting the pictures I wanted, splashing about in my wellies as I did so. The wind tore apart my efforts several times but eventually the breeze relented, the sun appeared from behind the wispy, hazy clouds and I was done.
Just next to where I was, across the stream and in the field, a chunky lamb lay down wheezing. All the other sheep had gone up to the top of the field and he was left all alone. I didn't think he looked too well but hoped it was my hyper sensitive nature overblowing what was just a cough.
My spirits dampened, I got home and plugged my camera into the computer but I just had to go back and see what was up with the stricken lamb.
A young mum stood looking while her daughter choked back tears. Sadly the lamb had died, I hope it hadn't suffered too long. Now I do eat meat and I try not to be a hypocrite, I do realise why there are lambs in the fields at all. But being of a sensitive nature, suffering and death and can be all too much if witnessed.
Sensitivity is both a blessing and a curse. You feel the reality of life too starkly sometimes and it fosters a tendency to withdraw in an attempt to lessen the impact of the harsh realities we all encounter. But with it comes opportunities to feel lucky in life and to pick up on every happy coincidence that passes by.
As my partner so eloquently put it: "it is all part of the cycle of life."
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Holly Star
I'm always saying land art is about the doing and not the viewing of the end result. And you know what I'm dead right!
If you were to pare down land art into only what you need to do then you wouldn't actually make anything at all. The only important part is the wandering, exploring and appreciation of nature. And so my partner and I (her with a bad back and me with a crick in my neck) set off to the park for a slow stroll.
Sunshine and blue skies, the birds a-chirping, and new leaves reaching for the sun. What bliss, despite not being able to look left or upwards and my partner only managing to walk gingerly. But the sweet smell of blossom in your nostrils, the buzz of bees in your ears and the wonder of new growth all around, is all and everything that you could possibly need.
We scooped up dozens and dozens of flame coloured fallen leaves, each one a delight to the senses and many of them met with an exclaim of "wow, would you look at this one!" (I know, but we aren't a danger to the general public, honest). Land art means seeing the world through children's eyes, whether you've lost and regained or always had that ability there is joy to be found in just appreciating the beauty that is all around us. And along with it giving up the necessity to care that you may be making a fool of yourself in other people's eyes and to let loose, be care-free and damn well pick up leaves off the ground while on your hand and knees and in a popular municipal park. Security!
I pondered a change of career and would offer leaf gathering workshops for those looking for tranquility. I would name my organisation 'Bag-o-Leaves' as that it all one needs to reach enlightenment.
"Right crew, welcome to the 'Bag-o-Leaves' workshop. I trust you've all brought a bag? Then we shall begin! The instructions are quite simple - just fill yer bag with leaves!"
I noticed these holly leaves, some of them without spikes, and how they have a white edge lit up by the sun. I took them down to the beck and thought after last weeks shenaningans that this week quick would be ok. A few stalks of grass, a few thorns and hey presto I was done.
I've had a Giclee print done of Traffic Lights for River Traffic, had it framed and it is now on the wall. I think it looks great and gawping at it has reminded me of the day when I made that sculpture and how a passer-by regaled me with his story of his nephew's motorbike. Believe me his anecdote was a cracker and if you haven't heard it you should go and read my retelling ;-) you might learn a thing or two about mopeds.
Wellies on and into the stream I set up the struts so the leaves would catch the sun but first I would need to pull out the half-a-motorbike hidden under the silt. First a headlamp, then an exhaust pipe, assorted bits of plastic, some wire, and some drinks cans. Perhaps the rider had downed a four pack of lager and had careered into the stream right here? I hoped I wasn't going to find bones!
But what did I tell you about appreciating nature? Well unfortunately the human touch seems to be everywhere not all of it artistic! Ho hum. But then again these pieces of moped may have belonged to my passers-by nephew recounted in the Traffic LIghts for River Traffic story, which would make my return to that spot quite apt. Just like my joining of autumn and spring sculptures here I have succeeded in joining two tales of neglected motorbikes. My word, my art is so deep and meaningful, wherever do I get these wonderful concepts from?!
After I finished with this one and now sporting my 'I graduated from the Bag-o-Leaves Academy' badge I took my 'Bag-o-Leaves (registered TM, Copyright Bag-o-Leaves Academy) and decided to make a Dragon for the next kids book and for more how to's on . We're working on the next LandArtforKids book, workshop materials and workshops for kids so I've been making kids sculptures as well as my own, although to the untrained eye (that'll be mine) thre is very little difference.
It gives me an excuse, as if I needed one, to act even more like a kid. Perhaps you should too?!
This was made for the Land Art Connections Project April 2010 - Theme Shadows on 17th April 2010 at Burrow Beck, Lancaster, UK.
