Skip to main content

Walk Gently in the Neighbourhood

 


Artists have always found inspiration  in their every day activities. The very early cave paintings are records of daily life - hunting expeditions for food and responses to the elements.  From the 1800s, Van Gogh's artworks about the daily work of peasants have charmed art lovers and  even in the Pop Art movement, the colourful art of everyday edible items like ice cream cones, cakes and hot dogs by Wayne Thiebaud have become collectable.  It is no wonder that during a pandemic lockdown when walking in the neighbourhood  is  the only exercise allowed  that these walks  take on a new fascination. 


Last week, I recorded my walk on a strip of  paper.... I joined a variety of  drawing and found papers  and added /scraped gesso to the surface. As I walked, I  drew with pencil shapes I saw on the way and then came home and added ink and pencil marks to fill in some detail. As you can see from the photo above, I cut the long strips into smaller squares to  share the walk  in segments. 


With the tiny bits of the original strip, I made some small collages with  additional fabric, dried bottlebrush leaves and stitching. 



Thank you for walking with me... 

We often forget that we are nature. Nature is not something separate from us. So when we say we have lost connection to nature, we have lost connection to ourselves.

From https://www.theartstory.org/

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks ....  The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and  message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or  my husband or from off cuts gifted to us  from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks.   Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt  or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as w...

"Temari Or Not Temari?" Tutorial

 Background Information:  Temari (literally translated “hand ball”) is a Japanese folk craft that is alleged to have originated in China and was introduced to Japan five or six hundred years ago. Traditionally, the balls were constructed from wrapped kimono fabric remnants and silk threads. They were made by mothers and grandmothers for children to play with. Nowadays, decorative embroidered temari represent a highly valued and cherished gift symbolizing friendship and loyalty. Recently I've wondered if your don't use traditional techniques whether you should call what you create "temari". That is an ongoing debate but today I share what I do to make a "non-traditional temari".... 1.I start  with a polystrene ball ( traditionally the balls were wound  silk scraps or other organic materials) and begin to wrap with approx 4 ply wool, turning the ball as I wrap.  2. I then wrap another layer of wool in a similar fashion , this time a 3 or 2 ...

Countdown to Christmas 15 - Diamonds Forever!

How much would you pay for a Christmas  fruitcake?  The world's most expensive fruit cake has been estimated at $1.65 million. Yesterday, I wrote about the less than positive term "Christmas cake as it is applied to unmarried women, so again it amazed me that  in Tokyo, this most exquisite and expensive Christmas cake was created. It took six months to design and another full month to construct. The beautiful cake is fully edible ... that is except for the 223  real diamonds  used as decoration. This cake was part of an exhibition called Diamonds: Nature's Miracle  and was one of 16 exhibits showcasing creative ways with diamonds . Apparently, the cake was auctioned, fetching $1.65 million US. While there have been other very expensive diamond encrusted cakes since this one in 2005 with estimated values of up to $75 million, this Japanese designed cake was the forerunner of the extravagant diamond studded wedding cakes in the higher price r...