NEW WORK at FILLINGDON FINE ART

"Strandloper III" by Robyn Gordon

The daffodils are out just in time for the opening of  the "Primary Palette"exhibition at Fillingdon Fine Art. I'm delighted to have 3 pieces in this exhibition including the piece, Strandloper III, above.

The meaning of strandloper ....

1. a member of a Koisan people who lived on the southern shores of southern Africa from prehistoric times until the second millennium AD.

2. a person who collects items on the shore; a beachcomber.

warmly invites you to  "Primary Palette" an exhibition of original paintings, sculpture, ceramics, jewellery and craft from Saturday 11th - Saturday 25th April 2015 daily 10am- 4pm at Fillingdon Farm, Piddington, High Wycombe,  Bucks, HP14 3BL, UK Other times by appointment www.fillingdon.com This exhibition features work in the three primary colours of red, blue and yellow by new and regular artists from Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa; across the media of oils, pastels, bronze, stone, porcelain, silver, shell and many others.  Monochromatic balance is added with a new collection of drawings by master draftsman Arthur Azevedo.  As always there is a wide variety on display to appeal to all tastes and pockets, and each unique, handmade piece has been personally selected to ensure the ultimate in quality and originality.  Entry is free and refreshments are on offer.  A donation is appreciated for our chosen charity Farm Africa (reg. charity number 326901). The work is available to view on our website, which is constantly being updated.  We look forward to welcoming you, and please feel free to tell like-minded friends! For directions and a map visit our Contact Us page

STRANDLOPER

The name STRANDLOPER is an Afrikaans word meaning "beach walker". It is a term for San-derived people who lived by hunting and gathering along the sea shores of Southern Africa from prehistoric times until the second millennium AD. The term has been extended to refer to present day beach combers.


While we were on holiday in the eastern cape we came across many middens. One of them was particularly old and high. It formed a bank covered with grass but a landslide had ripped the bank open to reveal  layer upon layer of shells at eye level. I did a little research and came across this post about Strandloper middens.

"... these piles of shells are often thousands of years old, and represent the last signs left by the Strandloper people, who belonged to the larger communities of either San or the Khoikhoi.... "

"The women would find some place in the dunes that was protected from the wind, and transform it into the family kitchen. They would shuck the shells and often prepare the food here as well. Pottery shards found at the midden sites indicate items of Stone Age crockery." - Chris Marais

After our holiday  I was inspired to carve a Strandloper to remind me of the blissful days spent gathering pebbles and driftwood on wild beaches.

FILLINGDON FINE ART

I'm pleased to announce that my work can now be found at a beautiful gallery in the Uk.

The present exhibition @
FILLINGDON FINE ART
Fillingdon Farm, Piddington, High Wicombe

SUMMER SELECTION 2014
opened on 31st May
and continues through to
28th June

The 300 year old beamed barn provides a modern yet historical setting for paintings and ceramics, whilst the sculptures look striking against the backdrop of the rolling Chiltern Hills of Buckinghamshire.

Meet Debs Digby, charming owner of Fillingdon Fine Art. I was lucky enough to meet Debs this year during her annual visit to Africa.  She breezed in to our home like a breath of fresh air and by the time she breezed out again I was totally under her spell. Debs takes great pride in personally meeting all the artists to discuss their art and what inspires them.  
Click for website here

MAKING THE BEST OF IT....during daylight anyway

"Everything has a value, provided it appears at the right place at the right time. It's a matter of recognizing that value, that quality, and then transform it into something that can be used. If you come across something valuable and tuck it away in your metaphysical suitcase there's sure to come a moment when you can make use of it." - Jurgen Bey.

We had two days of power outages during which three of my kitchen applainces blew. At 9.00 a.m. on the first day we heard we would be without electricity for about 12 hours. Okay! I could either seethe about it or make the best of it. Since I had managed to make a cup of coffee just in the nick of time (which goes a long way to soothe frazzled nerves) I decided to be grown up about it and take advantage of being without appliances. No vacuuming or washing and ironing! What more could a girl ask for?


The weather was perfect for outdoor carving so most of my day was taken care of, whittling, hammering, attaching, contemplating and generally being gratefull that I could get on with my work. Added to that I had a chunk of free time to collage my next assignment for the Shelley Klammer Course I'm doing.


All in all it was a good day though I don't profess to being happy without my computer all evening. The air was a little blue for a while !

BEACHCOMBER

"I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown for going out, I found, was really going in." - John Muir.



From the moment my toes sink into wet shingle I feel cleansed of the city buzz. There's something so calming about being at the sea. Breathing in the salty air, gazing out as far as the eye can see and generally just slowing down from the rushing about that we all do.

......And then there is the searching, the unearthing and the gathering of sea treasures.

Our family has been collecting cowrie shells for as long as I can remember. If a cowrie washes up on the sand we see it as a message from our loved ones who have passed on. A message of love. We see you, we hear you, we are here.

My eldest daughter favoured the spotless white cowries and my youngest, the little brown speckled ones. I love the sand buffed, worn cowries....though I have to admit that the first siting of a perfect new cowrie makes my heart sing.

I have been working on my "Beachcomber" totem for the past week and reliving those long languid days, wandering along the sea shore.

HAPPINESS IS !

"To fill the hour and leave no crevice....that is happiness." - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Aaahhhh, to get the weight off my feet for five minutes! I have been working like a trojan for the past three days and though I'm not finished yet I am beginning to feel bone weary. Nothing like sipping a mug of coffee on the step at the end of the day while contemplating my days achievements.


My yen for said cup of coffee came only a few minutes before a scheduled power outage, so off I went skidding into the kitchen to switch the kettle on. I beat the clock by the skin of my teeth and it was the best cup of coffee I've had in days!


We are having daily load shedding here in South Africa and it will probably continue until 2015....or so they say. Because there has been no maintenance for the past ten years, each time the power is switched on or off something blows (...like a power station....) which means the power is off for much longer than scheduled. Some areas in Durban have been out for five days.....so I shouldn't complain. Though we all feel like pulling our hair out it's something we have to get used to or end up going round the twist. In the mean time I celebrate making my cuppa in the nick of time!

Tomorrow I hope to put the finishing touches to my panels but it usually takes a few weeks of tinkering before I'm completely satisfied. By then there should be verdigris appearing on the brass fittings and a lot more rust on the bolts and arrowheads. My husband made them and presented them to me with a flourish...."See I can be useful when I apply myself!"

"Of the craftsmen it may be said that in the handiwork of their craft is their prayer". - Found inscribed over a doorway at Westminster Abbey.