SUNDAY MEANDERING IN THE MIDLANDS

The Elves and the Shoemaker by Peter Hall

Early Sunday morning my daughter and I set off for a girls day out in the countryside. The Midlands Meander is an arts and craft route that we follow at least 4 times a year and we decided to do some much needed christmas shopping while enjoying the fresh air and beautiful scenery. First stop was Piggly Wiggly where we sat plotting our route over a cappuccino.

The Elves and the Shoemaker by Peter Hall

We re-visited this enchanting sculpture by local artist Peter Hall. It is situated in the gardens of Ground Cover, a shop selling handcrafted leather footware.

Zulu Lulu, a delightful little shop selling beautifully crafted ceramics, many of which are whimsically wonderful pieces like these "Fisherman" collectables.

"The Fisherman" (Photograph from the Midlands Meander Brochure).

"Meanderers" were out in droves enjoying one of the first sunny days in weeks . Wherever we went there were animals and birds soaking up the sun. I think they sensed it would be raining again before the end of the day.

Here come the clouds!

It warms my heart to see Long Crested Eagles perched near the roadside (See him at the top of the telephone pole?) and on Sunday we saw at least eight at different locations, silently watching the veldt for tiny scurrying movements.

At this point we decided to head for home to beat the storm.

This is my last post for 2009 so have a joyful holiday season ....don't eat too much ..... and I will see you next year. To all my friends who visit my blog ....followers, commenters and silent visitors, Thank You!

BUNDLES AND PACKAGES, WRAPPED & UNWRAPPED

Shroud No 1 by Lynne Perrella

A second post on wrapped art was inevitable, especially since Lynne Perrella so graciously agreed to share some of her exciting assemblages on my blog. Lynne is the queen of bundle and wrap! Papers and vintage fabric, packaged, rolled and scrolled, wrapped and bound with twine, wire and string.

"I realized that nearly EVERY work of art, currently on my "Assemblages" web page features elements that are tied, bound, wound/round and bundled. Most of all, I love the moment when I take a bundle that I have created and then I take a needle tool and start poking and pulling at the layers, and having them "spill" a bit; just enough to suggest an intriguing opening or a slight "reveal". That's my favorite part. " - Lynne Perrella

Shroud No 2 by Lynne Perrella

One of my favourite images is Lynne's banner, here. It is in fact a composite of several images which Lynnes friend, Michelle has blended and tweaked to present a visual feast for all those who visit her website.

Secrets 1 & 2 by Lynne Perrella

Ledger Bundle 2 by Gail Rieke-Ledger

"Genten" No 403 by Diane Cooper

"Living in Japan, a culture much older than our own, developed within me a love for the aged and worn surface. The Japanese aesthetic has been a major influence on my work. - Diane Cooper

"Bundle" No 3o by Diane Cooper

Crush-white by Diane Cooper at the Jean Albano Gallery

A Matter of Interpretation (detail), Mixed media, Textile by Linda Welch

"The work explores what seems to be an inherent human---call it desire, need or drive--to wrap, to bundle, to protect, to contain, to obscure, or to enhance an object or being. Each bundle has a core component surrounded by multiple layers of material that comprise the outer envelope. Layers provide support and strength. Each piece balances between comfort or confinement, secrecy or exposure. Each has it's own voice." - Linda Welch

Diagenesis Series, Textile, Mixed Media, by Linda Welch

Flathead grid by Kate Hunt

We've seen many examples of packages wrapped and bound . Now for something exquisitely unwrapped. Tim O'Kane's breathtaking paintings can be seen, here.

Poem. Oil on panel by Tim O'Kane

*Calling all Wrappers .... A book for your christmas list ..... How to wrap Five Eggs: Traditional Japanese Packaging by Hideyuki Oka

*See previous post on wrapped and tied, here.

GRID COMPOSITION IN ART

Mixed media by Rosalie Gascoigne

The grid forms the foundation of many artworks and sometimes it is so well hidden that you don't notice the underlying grid until someone happens to mention it, but in other pieces it is very obvious.

In this post I am featuring many of my old favourites as well as a few new ones. First and foremost, I LOVE Rosalie Gascoigne. Much of her work is based on an arrangement of shapes, squares and rectangles within a grid. Not that she would ever categorize her work. "Oh I don't do those deep thoughts" she said. "And in the end, okay, I was putting things in grids. But I didn't really know what a grid was. And that's the way it worked, it worked for me , you see."

Mixed Media by Rosalie Gascoigne . See more of her amazing art here.

Mixed Media with Kuba cloth collage by Hannes Harrs. See more here.

German artist Hannes Harrs became interested in Africa as a child when his uncle, who was a ships captain, returned from his travels with several African artefacts. Thus began Harrs obsession with the ancient arts of Africa. At the age of 23 he accomplished his dream when he settled in South Africa.

My dream is to own a Hannes Harrs. I love the rich earthy textures of the collages that incorporate old Kuba cloth and other African textiles.

Mixed Media with African textile collage by Hannes Harrs

Grid 2 (Driftwood, deer skull, found objects) by Bob Leibow. See more here.

Katrinas Garden. Mixed Media by Anita Cooke. This has to be seen enlarged to really appreciate it, here.

The list of materials used in Katrinas Garden is quite impressive. Canvas, acrylics, acrylic gel, thread, ceramic grog, embroidery thread, rope, wood, rug lathing, copper wire, window screening and twine !!!

Lady Liberty by Wosene Kosrof. See more here.

Wosene Kosrof is an old favourite who I've featured in blog posts several times before. He has lived outside of Ethiopia since the 1970s. In his art he engages in an energetic dialogue with his Ethiopian heritage.

Interior Landscapes. Hand-woven tapestry by South African artist, Susqya Williams. See more here.

Equus Red by Laura Wait. See more here.


Mana he aga, Manako by John Pule. See more here.

Ahipara girl introduced me to John Pule's work last year in this interesting post, here. Scroll halfway down to see the gorgeous fabric that caught my attention.

X MARKS THE SPOT

Natural ochres on paper by Kitty Kantilla

X marks the exact location on maps where treasure is buried. The artworks in this post are all marked with X's so you shouldn't have any trouble locating the treasure :-)

Unfinished. Mixed Media piece by Seth Apter

Seth Apter is an artist, photographer and blog magician from New York City, who we in the blog world have quickly grown to love. Not only is he gracious and charming but he also has the knack for shepherding artists from all over the globe to his blog The Altered Page . Here he organizes exciting projects such as Secret Sunday...... but I digress.

Many of you know Seth's highly layered and textured mixed media pieces. "Unfinished" is one of my favourites. During an interview at Creative Therapy he describes his layering technique .

"After each layer, the still-wet paint was either distressed with sandpaper, wiped away with a rag, texturized with various materials, or dug into with a straight edge. I feel that building up the layers, perhaps to the point where the earliest layers may not even be visible, is the best way to achieve depth and richness in a piece."



Abstract by Jylian Gustlin





Semiotic. Oil and Mixed media on canvas by Ida Kohlmeyer


Yoruba Diviner's Panel at the Hamill Gallery



One of 7 beaded artworks (700mm x 700mm) commissioned for Singita Pamushana Game Lodge.

When Martine Jackson decided to commercialise her beaded artworks she founded MJ Visual, a design company consisting of up to 6o beaders from the townships of Cape Town, South Africa.

" MJ.VISUAL is a result of Jackson’s passion for combining traditional African beadwork with contemporary graphic design as well as creating a platform for less privileged women to reveal their amazing artistic skills. "

Detail of a piece called Rust Moon by Velma Bolyard. Layers of handmade daylily paper, linen, hosta and shifu.

White Rock with Ochre Cross by Susanne Carmack

A Letter to Phil about Dolphins by Allen Maddox. See more here and here.

Piazza. Mixed media by Lennox Dunbar

Felt piece in progress by Fiona Rainford

. . . . . . . FOR THE LOVE OF PAPER . . . . . . .

Exciting work by Catherine Nash, here.

At the Conrad Wilde Gallery website I have discovered many innovative artists whose love of paper is apparent in the work that they do.

Handmade paper by CJ Shane

CJ Shane collects beautiful paper on her travels.

" I've been to China several times, and I always visit the paper markets there. I return home with rolls of lovely delicate papers in subtle colors, often with flecks of gold and silver. When I'm home here in Tucson, I make my own paper. I like to experiment with different fibers, especially those native plant fibers from our desert bioregion. One of my favorite summertime pleasures is to go into the washes before a rainstorm and cut the grasses which grow there so luxuriantly during the monsoon season. In the morning sun, the grasses capture the sweet fragrance of water and life. I like to experiment with paper pulp to make one-of-a-kind sculptural pieces or to create small editions of artists' books. When I make paper, I enjoy knowing that I am participating in a tradition that dates back two thousand years to China's Han."

Torical Series. (Mixed media, books,wax) by Roberta Lee Woods

There are many more works in this series by Roberta Lee Woods. If you are interested, click here.

Rhapsody by Roberta Lee Woods

Reading our remains by Jessica Drenk

Jessica Drenk's inspiration comes from nature and she manipulates man-made materials according to similar patterns and principals.

Artbook 3 by Beata Wehr

I was delighted to find the work of Beata Wehr again since first discovering her link in Leslie's sidebar.

Book-ephemeris by Margaret Suchland

I love this piece by Margaret Suchland.

"For many years, collecting old books, maps, found correspondence, found objects, printed ephemera and other of life’s artifacts has been of interest to me....... The effects of time on these everyday items - the worn edges, random marks, muted colors and subtle evidence of the human presence inspire me. They portray a “presence of an absence”.

Paper sculpture by Daniella Woolf

Gradations 2 by Mary Ellen Long. See more, here.

Burning revised by Joan Giordano

Joan Giordano draws inspiration from archeological ruins and excavations .

Thanks everyone for all the kind, supportive comments and emails you sent during our little upheaval. You have no idea how much they helped. Normality is returning! We had a peaceful nights sleep last night thanks to our newly installed burglar alarm system.