Blurred around the edges

 

I was able to take gentle walk this morning after my eye  surgery on Monday - surgery went well and the eye is progressing well - though still a bit of blurring around the edges etc. 

I could not clearly focus on my shots and was surprised to see the spider in the photo above when it was enlarged on my screen. Still I managed to get record a few images from my walk - including the bush below - one we planted only a couple of months ago.

Including a new orchid in G's orchid house.

The tree at the top of the village was grand to see in the soft light.

Grand to be able to see and appreciate the beauty around me.

Endings, beginnings and a pause

 

Fiona and I spent a productive day in DEP today - doing the labelling, packing and pricing of art works and product to go to the Editions Exhibition at the Nambour ambo gallery. 

All being well the couple of my small publications seen above will be in the exhibition shop as will be the Domestic Posters (aka tea towels) below.

My six pieces for the exhibition are framed, labelled and wrapped and ready for delivery.

I have been given quite a bit of silver-plated objects lately. Harder pieces to work with given they are not flat trays. 

So I decided to have a metal cutting day to get the pieces into some usable piles: bits for jewellery; bits for leaves; and actual silver bits from a silver candle stick for special jewellery pieces.

What do I mean by pause in the blog title? 

Tomorrow morning I'm to have a cataract operation on my one good eye. After the operation there is a two week period where I need to stay away from dust and strain - so no workshop work for at least a couple of weeks.

Sculpture in the landscape?

 

Yesterday afternoon Fiona and I noticed what, from a distance, seemed to an art installation up under the magnificent big tree on the boundary of our 'village'. The view of the 'installation' as seen from our office window is below. At first we thought the chairs from a distance were chromed shopping trollies.

This morning I was determined to check it out the 'installation'.  As it turns out I think it is a set either for a wedding or a photo shoot created to promote weddings or ceremonies. But to me it really was an art installation in the landscape - sculpture in the landscape. I particularly loved the early morning light on and through the clear crystal like acrylic chairs.

A few more photos of the setting and the mown pathway to and from the installation.

Such a setting in the morning light was a delight - ephemeral and incidental art.

Saturated

 

It is official - we are wet - the grass is soggy, the leaves are falling and in a soggy heaps, flower stems are bending to earth and most blossoms are covered in droplets. Even the early morning was dark and shrouded in fog and drizzle as you can see from the photo above. Whilst the plants etc have been drawing up the moisture it is getting to the point where a day or two of sunshine would be good.

In the meantime we need to find joy in the rain drenched beauty.

As you can see in the photos above even G's orchids were rain drenched. It was a wet walk this morning.

An installation inspired by a Scottish fishing disaster

 

In my reading about the Scottish Highland clearances I was saddened by many things, but one that hit me more was that many farmers were forced to become fisherfolk and often had to go out to sea in small open boats that were easily swamped.

In 1848 there was a huge storm in Moray Firth in Scotland. During that August storm 124 small herring boats were lost; 100 fisherman were drowned; and this resulted in 47 women becoming widows and 161 children lost their father.

In time I want to make 124 small copper boats to represent the magnitude of the disaster. I have a vision of the mass of boat forms being the centre piece of an exhibition installation. I have made a start on 10 such 'boats'. 

I have experimented with the form and have developed the prototype seen in this post. First some process photos - unfolding the fold formed hulls; carved groove in timber to set the hull form in; brass tube mast through the hull and into timber; sail formed and attached to the sail cross supports with wire.

Then some photos of the prototype with the sail attached to mast and hull with wire..

I think I might use linen thread for attaching the sail to the sail cross support pieces and the mast. That will be prototype number 2. I'm not sure at this stage what the boats would be mounted on. I think I would like them on lengths of driftwood - part of prototype 2?

A few fun Friday fragments

 

We have visitors so no time for making today - but a few images of some fun cement bits I have been making including the cute little cottage with its pathway above and below  - in a field of moss.

A few folk have said they would like one of the cement cottages with pathway - so I have been making one when I get the time - a couple below.

I have also been making cubes, cubes on rods and testing out a numbers mould as part of the process.

This morning was quite misty - it seemed to encourage the wallaby below to venture out.