DAY 4 - last day of LAND ART

Porth Wen Brick Works on Anglesey (click for more photographs and history) is an amazing place - RUST HEAVON !
It is quite hidden from the land and you have to know where to find it - down a small footpath running from a minor road on the northern coast of the island - abandoned for years you can wander around the derelict buildings and rusting machinery... and if the sun is out go for a swim from one of the beaches nearby!

One of the participants inspecting the RUST qualities!
And this is a detail!
My immediate reaction seemed to have carried on from the sea/rock cairns I built yesterday......
But I soon moved on....using the material around me - I collected some wonderful nails and this large bolt which I just placed here!
After having a good look around at the possibilities our course facilitators set us the theme of FRAGILITY!
I returned to ground work........and the cracked concrete under my feet and filled this hole with black seaweed! It took on quite a menacing presence!
One of the overhanging platforms was broken around a several feet drop below and I emphasised the cracks with found charcoal.......
The white stripes were already there and added to the 'broken' work............

And then we were finished... we all said our goodbyes.... yes the group had finished but I have so much work from these 4 days that I can take forward I feel as if I am only just BEGINNING..................

and as for those BRICK WORKS - well I just have to return one day..............

DAY 3 Land Art and another beach!

As I said yesterday I felt a theme was emerging - maybe SUBMERGING would be more appropriate!!

i had such fun playing on yet another beach - we had a different beach each day to play on! this beach well known for it's variety of pebbles and I couldn't resist - but I stayed with the idea of space and building vertical rather than horizontal

Colour - shape - size - so many choices!! And then there was BALANCE!

I built 7 starting near the sea and working backwards - no idea of how the tide would come up the beach!

Again quicker than I realised my structures were surrounded by sea and I was no longer able to reach them.........

One by one they became islands!! Would the ones on high rocks stay dry?

The last 2 to go!! I just couldn't believe the tide would come in over 8ft high!

and then they were gone - the fisherman at the top of the cliff told me later that they could still be seen under the sea from above! I caused quite alot of entertainment and interest that day!!

Tomorrow another beach and a deserted and abandoned BRICK WORKS - it just got better and better but you will have to wait to see what I got up to with the theme of FRAGILITY!

DAY 2 Land Art

The idea of creating ephemeral work really started to appeal to me after the 'writing on the wall' - our second assignment was to create a work in space rather than linear - this was challenging as my immediate reaction like DAY 1 was a linear respond to the environment around me - we walked to the beach and on the way stopped several times making marks and drawings in a concertina book we made in the morning - this sharpened our observation skills and served as an excellent warming up to the piece of work we made on the beach in the afternoon. We were instructed to use just one material and this is what I found in a cave washed up amongest the debris the tide had brought in - I dragged it to the sea - roots and all and thought of making an island - but NO - this is what happened instead - a SEA CREATURE immerged the tide was coming in faster than I imagined and soon water was swirling around my feet - no more time to work - the tide imposed it's own deadline and I had started the work too near the incoming sea!!

I quickly added some dried twigs to the head!

An eye emerged from somewhere OUT THERE!
The sea was coming in fast!
I watched with a little sadness as my sea creature slowly disappeared!
Until no longer there! What would happen I wonder.................. when the tide went out again........
The next morning after breakfast I hurried down to the beach before our next day's workshop began - guess what I found - in exactly the same place - a bit bedraggled and on it's knees!!!......... but boasting NEW bright green finery!!!

a theme was emerging and 2 more days to go - MORE TOMORROW!!!

Land Art in Anglesey, Wales DAY 1

I have been rather late in posting my adventures during the 4 day Land Art workshop at the Creative Arts Retreat in Anglesey - it is now 3 weeks ago and the time has been taken up with daughter visits. At last a breather and a chance to show you what I was up to with Marged and Helen, our tutors, at Brynddu (the name of the beautiful house) - the weather was fantastic and most of the time was spent out of doors, in the walled vegetable garden gathering our vegetables and fruit for supper, in the woods and on the beach - more idyllic is not really possible if you combine this with making ART!!

Here are some photos of what I created on the FIRST day, from the beach debris - dried stalks of seaweed with some wonderful textures.

writing on the wall!!
The photos are all that is left of the art work plus a few pieces of seaweed for my collection. I will post up Day 2 tomorrow!

Exhibition opening

The exhibition 'In my other life...' opened on Wednesday - the wine flowed and the work looked good and the private view well attended - a steady flow of people during the evening, more friends that couldn't make the evening do have visited during the week so I feel confident in declaring it a 'success'. The experience in making work in response to a particular space was invaluable. I am really keen on developing this aspect of my work and I will be saying more about the Creative Arts Retreat on 'Land Art' that I went on last week just before the exhibition opening. It was a wonderful and exciting experience and I have about a hundred photos of the work I created to sort through before I write a post on it!! So watch this space .........