Sketchbooks, Weeds and Phone Cameras

At the margins of our garden there are great clumps of stinging nettles. I like them about the place, they are a food source for insects and great on the compost heap. 

They've now grown at such a rate I almost feel as if I can see them grow in front of my eyes, at four foot plus, they are leggy and strong and wave about in the slightest breeze just waiting to catch me unawares. 

Reminding me that I must draw them before I cut them down.

Along with my sketchbook I took out my phone . . .  I can almost guarantee always to have a phone with me, and so I find I use my phone as a camera more and more . . . and, now it has a new gadget! 

I've discovered the Olloclip, three lenses in one, which fits onto an iPhone. A fisheye, a macro, and a wide angle lens. It's brilliant fun but a potential time trap!

A minor issue with the macro is the very short depth of field, so the slightest breeze and it's almost impossible to be in focus (I think these are male flowers)

From my drawing position viewed through the fisheye

It's a small step from working in the garden, to wandering around with my new toy to see what I can photograph. Aromatic sweet cicely is scenting the air with hints of aniseed and getting ready to broadcast its seeds.

Trying to time using the macro in-between gusts of wind - I can see I need a bit of practice - but I can also see how this will be useful for ideas related to paintings, oooh.

Sketchbook Ponderings

I love to get outside with a sketchbook but so far this year I've been hopeless at organising my time to do this. Recently though I've made a more concerted effort, packed up my kit (and a collapsable stool!) and strode off . . . Looking quite purposeful - Ha!

And I've noticed there seem to be two aspects to my practice. When I'm working outside the marks are looser, more direct . . . and I do like that sense of the 'immediate'

Fresh air pages

Shed pages

On returning to my Shed I make mini blocks, I add collage, and ink and feel that I play around more . . .

but,

the resulting images (when viewed through the lens of my camera) appear less adventurous than I'd anticipated. I'm not exactly unhappy with what I've done . . . but I'd hoped to produce something 'more' 

Perhaps when I identify what I mean by, more, I'll know what to do!

And this is fairly typical of the fabulous countryside I walk through, a path wanders from our garden to the byways beyond.

I am constantly amazed by what I find on my walks. 

With this animal pinned to the fence I can of course examine it more closely than usual. Yes, I came armed with a sketchbook and camera, but it does strike me as unnecessarily cruel. 

And I'm left pondering the nature of a person with such disregard for these birds - and how well founded their objections are.

Wiltshire: Guided walk through Pewsey Downs IPA

I went for a guided walk on Pewsey Downs this morning, with Plantlife, a first for me as I'm usually very happy to tramp about on my own, especially if I'm taking photos or sketching. 

Pewsey Downs is an SSSI and an Important Plant Area, due to its rare and endangered wild plants, its plant biodiversity . . .

and for its flower rich meadows.

A profusion of beautiful and delicate lesser butterfly-orchids.

An abundance of common-spotted orchids are strewn across the downs, and I spent rather a lot of energy in trying not to tread on any of them. The flowers themselves can vary from deep to light pink, and the leaves are marked transversely with dark spots.

The common fragrant orchid.

Burnt-tip orchid is a white orchid with a deep crimson peak - the 'burnt tip' in question. Once more common than it is now, it can be found in the short downland turf at Pewsey Downs (if you look very carefully), and has been chosen as the County Flower of Wiltshire.

Although medium-sized, I think it's easy to overlook twayblade due to it's gentle green colouring. Without a macro lens it's difficult to get a really good close-up, so I made an attempt at photographing it through a hand lens held over my phone camera. 

And great excitement for me, my first sighting of a bee-orchid

Even with the thrill of seeing so many fantastic and astonishing orchids I got a real buzz from seeing just so many different wild flowers, many that we think of as terribly common and almost unworthy of comment. 

Nevertheless, I still think plantains are amazing little plants, and look really quite extraordinary and are just as wonderful to see.

Long live Libraries and Weeds

I've just dropped off a set of bookmarks for Bookmarks Xl Infiltrating the Library System 2013.

I came across the quote 'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need' (attributed to Cicero, Roman philosopher, 106 BC) and felt a link to sentiments from a deep and distant past. I was also struck by the thought that in over two thousand years, humanity has remained rather consistent. 

I not sure what I feel about this thought.

But back to the Bookmarks in the Library. Libraries holds facts and fictions, ideas and thoughts. Over the centuries libraries and books have been ransacked and burned in an attempt to censor or silence aspects of a nations culture . . . they are with us still . . . Not unlike weeds.

Mankind has attempted to eradicate plants like the dandelion for generations . . . and they are also still here. This is a good thing, they're an important early source of nectar for bees and provide us with culinary and medicinal benefits. 

So, lets keep our Libraries and our Weeds!

The bookmarks series has run over the last nine years, distributing free artwork in 93 venues in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Turkey the UK and USA.

Each participant makes an edition of 100 numbered and signed bookmarks for free distribution in artist’s book collections, centres or galleries. 

Part XI of the project runs from Sept 2013 – February 2014. Parts I-VIII are already archived on the CFPR website at bookarts.uwe.ac.uk/bookmark.htm

Proposal for an exhibition by 10 Artist Printmakers

Waysides & Hedgerows . . .

. . . Common & Garden

Call for Entries

'Our wildflowers are disappearing at a rate of 2 species every 5 years. Nearly half of the 1150 ‘priority species’ in the UK’s Biodiversity Action Plan are plants, but they attract a fraction of the budget. . . . ' Plantlife

I would like to put on an exhibition in 2014 focusing on the wild plants of our hedgerows, waste places and gardens, and I'm keen to find 10 artist printmakers who would be interested in a project specifically focused on plant-based images and text, related to the plight of our wild plants.

I must stress that this is not a search for botanical artists, but for artist printmakers who are keen to explore plant focused concepts, and who will make new works (Prints and/or Book Art) in response to this project. This is for artists with an interest in botany, although flora isn’t necessarily the main focus of their work.

A catalogue is envisaged but will be subject to budgetary conditions.

I am currently asking for initial contacts from artists wishing to be considered for this project, and I would appreciate if you could circulate this information to others you think may be interested.

Submission details

Please request further information through the comments box on this site or contact me via my website.

Deadlines:
Application deadline Autumn 2013
Exhibition date to be confirmed

Sheffield International Artists' Book Prize

Trying (well . . . setting out to but finding myself a little distracted by all the brilliant ideas sketched or written on scraps of paper) I came across the entry form for the 4th Sheffield International Artist’s Book Prize at Bank Street Arts.

Bank Street Arts is home to a large collection of Artists’ Books made up of donated books from submissions to the Artist’s Book Prize - Entrants to the Prize are requested to donate their entry to the Collection but, this is not a Condition of Entry.

In addition, books from the collection are displayed in exhibitions at the Centre and toured to book fairs and events around the country and there is an online catalogue.

Open to makers of artists’ books in any format, from anywhere in the world and without an entry fee. Although it's worth a mention that if you'd like your work returned you'll need to cover the cost of postage and an admin fee.

Deadline for entries: 31st July 2013