EARLY MORNING WALKS ....AND BUG

I've been in an ebullient mood for days and I put this down to our early morning walks, prompted by Julia Cameron, author of Vein of Gold. I've joined the Vein of Gold Group over at CCS and one of the daily practices is walking. It has been hard to pull myself out of bed so early in the morning but definitely worth the effort!

We set off in the dark at 4.30.am when it is cool. It's so peaceful at this time of day and also ideal for spotting wildlife en route . We take Ben our Bull Terrier with us because nobody would dare challenge us when he's around and besides he loves and needs a walk even more than we do.

We've seen a white tipped mongoose hunting for the past 4 days as well as a Bushbuck standing silently watching as we passed by. On one of our walks we noticed a thrush dive bombing a mongoose in the middle of the road. Ben caught a whiff of it and took off with me flailing wildly at the end of the lead. (I've since been treated for whiplash by the chiropractor). As we got to the spot, mongoose disappeared down a drain and my eye caught site of a moving mud clod...or so I thought until I saw a gaping orange mouth .

Ben and I realized what it was simultaneously but I was quick, scooping the baby thrush out of harms way and holding it close while we searched for a nest. Thrush was quite a distance from any trees and he was definitely too young to fly . We couldn't leave him there or even put him in a tree to wait for the mum (who was nowhere to be seen) because he kept bailing off the branch and in any case it was highly probable that the mongoose would sniff him out. After waiting a while Hubby decided that we should take him home because he wouldn't survive out in the open ....what with the mongoose, cars and dogs about....... So home we went!

We have named him Bug because he eats bugs like there's no tomorrow. From dawn til dusk I'm on hands and knees in the garden, searching for rock roaches, wood lice and earthworms. We've now introduced him to Pronutro which drives him into a frenzy of wing flapping, chirping euphoria.

Bug is doing very well and all we hope for is to be able to release him back into the wild when he is old enough to look after himself. This could be harder than it sounds because thrushes are territorial and the last time we reared a thrush and tried to release him the other thrushes attacked poor Jack until we rescued him again. It took many more weeks before the others would even allow him to sit in the tree outside our bedroom window.

I wish I had the equipment to record and share what I can hear right this moment. Bug is chrrrpping at the top of his lungs just to let me know he hasn't eaten in the last half hour.

THE QUIRKY ETCHINGS OF OLEG DENISENKO

Oleg Denisenko is a Ukranian artist who creates quirky/bizarre etchings. They have cross between a Don Quixote and Leonardo Da Vinci air about them. If you want to see more of Denisenko's amazing work go here and here. You need to see the enlarged prints to appreciate the detail. Go and have a good look. They are brilliant!

"The holiness of taboo is esteemed" - Oleg Denisenko

Rainbow, 2005. Etching. Edition of 50. Davidson Galleries, Seattle

Elixer of Life, 2004. Davidson Galleries.

Traveler, 2006. Davidson Galleries

FIBER ART DISCOVERIES

Silence Spoken by Lewis Knauss (USA). Woven, knotted, linen, feathers, handmade paper, wire.

A gallery I've recently discovered on the net has my heart doing backflips.With a focus on Art Textiles and Fiber Sculpture, Browngrotta Arts showcases contemporary art from around the globe.

Its a small world isn't it? by Judy Mulford (United States). Gourd, waxed linen, fine silver, antique buttons, Japanese coins, beads, pearls, photo transfers, pounded tin can lids, Peruvian beads, paper, dye, paint; knotting and looping.

Complex Hexagonal Plaiting Spiral by Norie Hatakeyama (Japan). Plaited paper, string.

King of the Hill by Norma Minkowitz (United States)

Women Sketch 1, by Ceca Georgieva (Bulgaria). Burrdoch burrs.

Felt piece by Gali Cnaani-Sherman

Even If...., by Ase Ljones (Norway). Stitched drawing.

"Embroidering takes time, it's a slow process that gives room for silence. I seek silence. In the quietness I can bring back memories and find new ways to go. I often work with series, where small changes create a rhythm, tranquility or excitement in my works." - Ase Ljones

White Pine Dendroglyph, by Dorothy Gill Barnes (United States). Pine

"My intent is to construct a vessel or related object using materials respectfully harvested from nature. The unique properties I find in bark, branches, roots, seaweed and stone suggest a work process to me. I want this problem solving to be evident in the finished piece. Some of these structures are basket like." - Dorethy Gill Barnes

Surf Play, by Pat Campbell (United States). Reed, Paper and wood.

From Chaos to Reality, by Aleksandra Stoyanov (Israel and Ukraine)

"Israel has two sides, from one it is a land, a country we are living with its contradictions, war, problems, beauty...From the other it is the Holy Land, promised and given by God. The work reflects the Holy Land, shining in the golden light. When I keep threads in my hands I feel that they are ground, the grass, that there is a life in them. The feeling of thread in my hands is the first appeal for me to begin working on a new piece.." - Aleksandra Stoyanov

Sabi Tea Jar II, by Nancy Moore Bess (United States)

Discourse by Caroline Bartlett 
"My recent work has focused on the act of collecting and archiving, and on the overwriting of histories. As a result, processes of erasing and reworking, folding and unfolding, have become central to both ideas and working methods, permeating responses to other stimuli - such as recent visits to Japan and Australia. A preoccupation with the tactile and its connections with memory continue to be an ongoing concern while the use of print as a means of marking cloth, and a continuing involvement in stitch and manipulation techniques provide me with a working vocabulary and the means by which I process and articulate ideas." - Caroline Bartlett

THE WEIRD AND THE WONDERFUL

Roliquery by Amy Brier

It always amazes me just how creative and talented people are. Amy Brier created a series of Roliqueries. Sculpture that creates sculpture. A Roliquery is a hand carved limestone ball which when rolled in sand leaves the most wonderful patterns...a new work of art.


Spaghetti Bench by Pablo Reinoso

I love the benches that Pablo Reinoso is exhibiting at the Carpenter Workshop Gallery.

Spaghetti Wall by Pablo Reinoso



Figurative sculpture by Alastair Heseltine


Filigree Spades by Cal Lane

You won't believe the beautiful sculpture Cal Lane creates out of old wheelbarrows, spades, oil drums and car parts. This site is a must!

"5 Benevolent Cans" , Plasma cut oil cans by Cal Lane



Photomontage by Tim Hawkinson

Tim Hawkinson switches from one medium to another with relative ease. He imagined a teddy bear made out of boulders. He then sourced 8 granite boulders and constructed this 180 ton teddy bear. Read the article here.


Teddy Bear by Tim Hawkinson

Vicissitudes, depth 4.5m, Underwater Sculpture Garden by Jason Taylor

FAVOURITE PAGES, FAVOURITE BOOKS

Photograph of one of Peter Beard's many African journals

It was a hot weekend and all we felt like doing was lazing inside, sipping glasses of iced ginger tea. I however, cannot sit ...or laze... for long so I hauled out a pile of my favourite books to get my mind off the heat.

When re-reading my books there are certain pages that I return to over and over again. Pages that either inspire or stir my curiosity enough to send me off on a google frenzy. Actually it doesn't take much to stir me into a google frenzy!

I thought I would share some of my favourite pages with you. The pages that stop me in my tracks even though I've seen them many times before.

The first one, from Africa Interior Design is a beautiful room in a farm house in Cape Town. The carved door from Mali caught my attention but the rest of the room is just as gorgeous. This house is featured in many books and magazines here in South Africa.

The Basket Room, Hotel Le Saxon, in Johannesburg --from At Home With Art by Tiddy Rowan.

The home and studio of sculptor Axel Cassel in Normandy. I love the mingling of books, african artefacts and ethnographic objects with his own pieces. From Contemporary Natural by Phyllis Richardson and Solvi Dos Santos.

An old favourite which I picked up on a sale for next to nothing, many years ago. Henry Moore: My Ideas, Inspiration and Life as an Artist by Henry Moore and John Hedgecoe. Seeing artists working in their studios is a big thrill for me.

This page from Art Making, Collections and Obsessions by Lynne Perrella is so my cup of tea!

In Amulets by Sheila Paine there are hundreds (431 to be exact) of intriguing illustrations. This cabinet is an 18th-century apothecary's cabinet filled with amulets dating from antiquity to 19th-century, France.

South African artist, Norman Catherine sitting amongst his giant fibreglass sculptures. They all have humerous names and are far more impressive in life than they are here in the book, Norman Catherine by Hazel Friedman.

There are so many pages that I gravitate to in The Artful Dodger by Nick Bantock but I'll share just the one of a collage which is included in Bantock's book The Venetian's Wife.

Last but not least are a few pages from Peter Beard's African journals. Many of the pages in Taschen's double volume, PETER BEARD, leave me feeling quite gobsmacked.

Can you believe the size of this mighty croc?

...And the young Peter Beard himself.

NEST

Delicate Wait III (detail) by Giselle Hicks

Who wouldn't be amazed at the beauty of a tiny Hummingbird's nest covered in moss and lichen.....or watching a Thrush feed a nest full of chirping, gaping mouths.........or at finding a clutch of speckled eggs in a hollow nest, still warm from the mother bird.

Passage by Giselle Hicks  (photograph from the book 500 Figures in Clay).

Giselle Hicks writes in her artist statement...

"I am fascinated with the idea that skillful construction with delicate materials can yield a structure strong enough to house and protect the fledgling inhabitant of the nest. This process demands diligence, patience, careful craftsmanship, commitment and resilience. These same qualities are required to build and maintain relationships to a person, family, and community. "

Bird in Nest, Etching by Scott Fitzgerald

Bird Nest by Antonia Munroe. See more of her delicate bird nest paintings here.

Joe Pogan's Bird and Nest made from found objects.

Fiona Hall has made a series of nests from shredded dollar bills. Lifelike aren't they?

Nils-Udo Clemson Clay Nest 2008 Installation.

Man sized nest created by Benjamin Verdonck. (There is an egg in the nest...as well as a man)

ENJOYING A LITTLE QUIET TIME

I spent the morning carving a small nature box to hold some of my found objects and found great comfort in doing something so simple. For the first time in weeks I could actually feel the tension seep away as I relaxed into my work. Creating in solitude works every time. It's not that I'm antisocial but I feel so much better in my self if I can maintain a balance between my social and my solitary pursuits.

The christmas beetles have arrived in full force and they sing heartily from the forests. These cicadas usually come with the heat of summer, reminding me of my childhood. The first cicada song always sent me into a wild spin because it meant christmas was just around the corner.

I've been doing a lot of reading over the past few days. Dipping into old favourites rather than reading something new from beginning to end.

Susan Woolridge offers many nuggets of wisdom in her book Foolsgold.

"Maybe some of us need to dive into the depths of self, no matter how dangerous it seems, to uncover more meaning, passion, expression of soul, and, indeed, more light. We might feel most alive in the presence of what seems most dark within us. There are many ways for us to begin to plumb our unknown depths and free creativity without going crazy. To honor our boundless nature, it helps to shift perspectives and turn ourselves inside out and upside down."

"Go to wild places and invite the unexpected. Gather what you want onto a page or into a small box and allow yourself to sense the mystery in whatever is around you. Travel as much as you can, even within your own yard or town. Spend time contemplating water. There are many activities that can jog our brains and hearts and help us tap hidden tunnels leading to bottomlessness. Inviting playfully expansive "craziness" as well as regular depth soundings in our lives might help us stay more deeply sane, in touch with the ongoing present moment and with our true boundless and timeless natures, where the depth we seek is simply waiting to be perceived. "