FOREST

Spring Forest by Andrew Wyeth. Website here.

Walking through forests, especially in the Drakensberg of KwaZulu Natal, is always a rejuvenating experience for me. Just recently I read an article in Science Daily about studies indicating the good effects of natural environments on one's nervous system.

Dr Eeva Karjalainen, of the Finnish Forest Research Institute says "Many people feel relaxed and good when they are out in nature. But not many of us know that there is also scientific evidence about the healing effects of nature."

Forest Remembered by Wen Redmond. Website here.

The article continues....

"Forests -- and other natural, green settings -- can reduce stress, improve moods, reduce anger and aggressiveness and increase overall happiness. Forest visits may also strengthen our immune system by increasing the activity and number of natural killer cells that destroy cancer cells.

Many studies show that after stressful or concentration-demanding situations, people recover faster and better in natural environments than in urban settings. Blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension and the level of "stress hormones" all decrease faster in natural settings. Depression, anger and aggressiveness are reduced in green environments and ADHD symptoms in children reduce when they play in green settings."

This doesn't surprise me at all. Read the whole article here.

Nils-Udo 4. Photograph by Dylan Wolfe. See Flickr photostream, here.

Whilst googling work by Land artist Nils Udo, I was delighted to stumble upon Dylan Wolfe's Flickr photostream and 639 photos .... yes 639 photos! .... of the behind the scene creation of Udo's Clay Nest. I've not seen such an amazing record anywhere else on the internet. Do yourself a favour and have a look, here.

"The photos are an archive I've been collecting in association with the Nature-based Sculpture Program of the South Carolina Botanical Garden. Some of the images are the actual portfolio shots taken upon completion of the project, while others were added to the collection by program staff, the artists, community members, and other people working on the archival project. We've started a website, naturebasedart.org, and are working on a book about the sculptures produced by the program." - Dylan Wolfe.

Nest in Red Clay by Nils Udo. Read about it here.

Tower by Nils Udo

Forest Spirits by Sedona artist, Deanne McKeown. Website here.

Palmsonntag. Mixed media by Anselm Kiefer. See more enlarged photos here.

Leaf Loot by Carolyn Saxby. See Carolyn's Flickr photo stream here and blog here.


Detail from The Book of Forests by Kathyanne White. See large photos of the Book of Forests, here.

Forest Walk by Nerine Tassie. See more of Nerine's work here.

Handmade artist's book by Catherine Nash. See more at the Conrad Wilde Gallery, here.

I found this Rene Menard quote in Catherine's artist statement.

".....I live in great density....Shelter lures me. I slump down into the thick foliage.... In the forest, I am my entire self. Everything is possible in my heart just as it is in the hiding places in ravines." - Rene Menard, Le Livre des Arb

The Forest by Ton Dubbeldam. See more of Ton's work here.

. . . . . . . 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.