Painting with Earth – Cornwall: new home, new works
Posted: November 30, 2018 Filed under: eARTh | Tags: Arte Povera, Arts, arts research, Cornwall, earth pigments, eco art, ecopsychology, Environmental art, Feeling, indigenous culture, painting, Pigment, poetry, Visual arts Leave a commentNovember 2018
despite the wind
despite the weather
despite the winter
despite the sense of vulnerability
this raw and new found exposure
despite the twisting and turmoil of our times
despite love
and loss
despite it all
this earth still shines
Before I embark on a new phase of experimentation, combining different binders with the Cornish pigments, I would like to share a few paintings that I have made in my new home – a caravan on a dairy farm in the coastal hills of west Penwith, Cornwall.
West Penwith, Cornwall – Morvah, Sennen Cove, Cot Valley and Chun Quoit © p ward 2018
Here, I am surrounded by the historic land markings of the ancient peoples who populated this extremity of the British Isles. Stone walls, reportedly demarcating some of the oldest working field networks in the world, built 5000 years ago. Iron age hill forts, burial mounds, settlements and wells set in the denuded coastal wasteland of heath and moor. It is at times bleak. After the rain and wind that lashes fresh from the vast Atlantic ocean, the colours of autumn shine. The constantly changing hues of the blue and grey and turquoise sea. Rainbows sitting in our laps. The sky heavy and clear and dark and brooding. Salt water permeating. The animals are exposed by their hunt for food, by the lack of cover afforded by the stripped land. It is a place of spirit and history and life, right now.
Penwith dream forms (Botallack black on paper); fogou (Cornish earth pigments on wood) © p ward 2018
mineral, vegetable; mist (Cornish earth pigments on wood) © p ward 2018
dance on the shore (Cornish earth pigments on canvas) © p ward 2018
virtually vertical; community (Cornish earth pigments on wood); earth bound (Cornish earth pigments on canvas) © p ward 2018
pigment drift (Cornish earth pigments on slate) © p ward 2018
I am slowly learning to listen to the language of the colours here. The earth pigments, their qualities, their sources are unfamiliar. New to me. They are similar in colour to those of North Devon, that I have been using for a long time but very different in other ways. Their formation. Their nature. They have not been part of my own story, until now. The marks and stories they suggest are gradually revealing themselves. Their relationships unfolding. Their dynamic. And despite my attempts at integrity to their provenance and the spirit of this place in which I find myself, it is the freedom of my children’s paintings and drawings that are inspiring me…
noah, agnes, noah, agnes (pastel and paint on paper) 2018
two heads (Cornish earth pigments on wood) © p ward 2018
eventual remediation (Cornish earth pigments on wood) © p ward 2018
looking for love (Cornish earth pigments on wood) © p ward 2018
Cornish Folk Tale I (Cornish earth pigments on wood) © p ward 2018
Professionally, I am working on an Arts Council National Lottery Project Fund proposal in association with Geevor Tin Mine to research the creative and educational potential of the pigments. Through recent projects and contact with the staff at the Mine I have started to appreciate and become really excited by the rich historical, geological, chemical and social provenance that the colours carry. After the far-reaching and ongoing success that Painting with Earth – North Devon has brought, let’s hope I will get some real financial support to enable the continuation of this rich seam of work ;-).
© P Ward 2018
burnt CARN
Posted: August 31, 2018 Filed under: A BUNDLE OF STICKS, the ash tree | Tags: arts research, Cornwall, Cornwall Area of Outstanding Beauty, Ecology, ecopsychology, Environmental art, Feeling, poetry Leave a commentPendeen, Cornwall 190818
a howling man dressed in black set fire to the hill (carn) behind Pendeen…
burnt CARN, Pendeen, Cornwall 190818 I-III © p ward 2018
burnt CARN, Pendeen, Cornwall 190818 IV-IX © p ward 2018
burnt CARN, Pendeen, Cornwall 190818 X © p ward 2018
burnt CARN, Pendeen, Cornwall 190818 XI © p ward 2018
it has been a while since I have felt watched,
since I have felt the company of an-other.
the scent of burnt earth
forms distorted by fire
a thick sea mist blowing through the hilltop
silence…
© P Ward 2018
with sadness (and in love)
Posted: November 13, 2017 Filed under: the ash tree, Uncategorized | Tags: #GNAP France 2017, Arte Povera, Devon, Ecology, ecopsychology, Meditation, North Devon, poetry, Ritual Leave a comment.
at times of loss and grief
we may turn to Nature for solace,
to water, wind, fire and earth
to rocks, soil, fungi and trees
to insects, animals and birds
.
for guidance
for resilience
and strength
.
we may immerse ourselves
in the mundane, in the everyday
in routine and simplicity
.
not to avoid the pain
but to live with it
to feel it without distraction
.
we may assimilate our feelings and thoughts
through our work
through creative activity
through cathartic acts
through play
.
I sit in the flowing river
the cool water moves around my stationary working form
touching my legs, ankles and hips, hands and forearms,
I feel connected to life
once more
.
or through physical activity
where the rhythm of movement,
of muscles and breath and heart working in time,
lift us to an alternate state
.
to see our situation anew
in a different light
not with mind
but with body
.
and in fantasy and dreams
the world becomes larger
not illusionary but more real
past present future revealed
.
through our actions we may sense
the wonder of each passing moment
of being alive with our pain
of feeling at all
.
and with thanks
we can move forward
and in love
.
la grille d’entrée, Les Perrières, France © p ward 2017
les crânes et les plumes, Les maison troglo de Forges, France © p ward 2017
pic vert, les Perrières, France © p ward 2017
graffiti, Ackermann champagne vaults, France © p ward 2017
morning lake, Offwell Woods, Devon © p ward 2017
pollen path, Coombe Woods, London © p ward 2017
blocks, The Lizard, Cornwall © p ward 2017
blue butterfly, Hele, Devon © p ward 2017
mine shafts, Penwith, Cornwall © f owen/p ward 2017
Portland Place, Ilfracombe, Devon © p ward 2017
Croyde Bay, Devon © p ward 2017
.
© P Ward 2017
terms of engagement
Posted: November 12, 2017 Filed under: activ8, the ash tree | Tags: Arte Povera, arts research, collaboration, dialogical aesthetics, eco art, ecopsychology, Interdisciplinarity, poetry, Social change, social sculpture Leave a commenta conversation of sorts 121117
Q:
“What’s the difference between a social or educational project and an artwork?”
uncomfortable orchids, London © p ward 2017
A:
each may indeed have much in common and much to share.
it is the means and manner through which they communicate,
in which they engage, inform and sometimes transform that renders them effective or benign.*
.
an understanding of an audience, a demographic, an ecology
may encourage participation and transformation
reaching out and beyond those and that originally targeted.
.
the artist, teacher, social worker and ecologist intuit a means
to estimate, interpret, facilitate and hence empower (oneself and others)
literally, pictorially, intellectually, imaginatively, actively, physically, emotionally and most skillfully
.
the aesthetic that directs whatever intent motivated the craft,
that manipulates, interferes with and informs the intrinsic (or created) dynamic
towards a specific end or beginning or…
.
it is not necessary to determine how or when or what
those (or that) which experiences may take away
or if anything further does become
.
but it is in relationship that one may experience and affect movement
from one moment to the next
.
from one breath to another
.
so different too
that a tension reveals
swinging back and forth and around
.
we are all children in this world
vulnerable
unknowing
.
dancing under the stars
of this earth
that we share
.
pavement, London; pavement, Nantes © p ward 2017
© P Ward 2017
(* yet how we may quantify such effectiveness is another matter.)
in Transit…
Posted: November 5, 2017 Filed under: activ8, Uncategorized | Tags: Arte Povera, Arts, arts research, eco art, ecopsychology, Environmental art, graffiti, North Devon Coast, poetry Leave a commentnew works of a more temporary nature…
.
“Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are.” Bertolt Brecht
.
what does one do when one is in transit, on the move, between stations, so to speak?
just how does one occupy oneself in a meaningful and creative manner when one’s foundations are all asunder, albeit temporarily?
it is a most unsettling situation indeed (quite literally), this moving about, this uprooting and replanting, this altering of, well, almost everything…
.
perceptions
perspectives
.
I am making ready for change
but unwilling to predict or control just how such changes may manifest.
they will more than likely simply emerge quite naturally,
not without a struggle perhaps,
but in an organic way.
.
in the meantime
there is the matter of packing away stuff,
clearing space for the new
both physically and emotionally,
and simply getting rid of that which no longer serves a purpose.
then there is of course the more mundane,
taking advantage of a lull or space to administer and catch up with paperwork and websites etc
and, of course, the constant reflection upon where one has been, where one is now and where one might like to go…
.
the studio, my place of creative refuge for two years is already dismantled
neatly stowed in a safe space, a strange sensation, a sense of detachment from my life vocation.
and yet all this has been done before.
and we adapt,
we make the most of what we have,
we continue to create, to cast our influence in the world
and the new situation inspires newness in all
.
it is rather exciting
this nomadic nuance
.
so here’s to new life
to new possibilities
to uncertain futures
.
isn’t it always this way after all…
.
walking up Holdstone Down, Exmoor, North Devon © f owen 2017
après les Perrières (boots, sheep dung necklace, ibis feathers, clay model (courtesy Majid Ziaee*), tickets, red valerian sprig, stick and string) © p ward 2017
flowers and earth, red valerian posy, earth pigments, pestle and mortar © p ward 2017
XO, boots with ball clay and cordyline parcels © p ward 2017
red valerian posy © p ward 2017
walk in Brownsham Woods, Hartland, Devon © p ward 2017
tides, offcuts on canvas; we are a break in the waves (my beach) © p ward 2017
walk at Shirley Heights, London © p ward 2017
woodland graffiti, Shirley Heights, London © p ward 2017
les trois galets de Marc Averly; Prince Albert Bridge, River Thames, from Battersea Park, London** © p ward 2017
les trois galets de Marc Averly; Peace Pagoda, Battersea Park, London** © p ward 2017
Shirley’s boots © p ward 2017
les trois galets de Marc Averly; Turbine Hall, Tate Modern, Southbank, London** © p ward 2017
OXO – the City from the Southbank, London © p ward 2017
pavement arrangement, Shirley, London © p ward 2017
les trois galets de Marc Averly; Stonehenge, Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire** © p ward 2017
daisy earth ball; procession; Stonehenge, Wiltshire © p ward 2017
new year sunrise, Hele, North Devon © p ward 2017
no Wales today, from Hillsborough, North Devon © p ward 2017
samhain, Hele (heal), North Devon © p ward 2017
offcut composition, wood © p ward 2017
3 is better than 2 (apparently), Lynmouth, North Devon © p ward 2017
brick, Lynmouth North Devon © p ward 2017
Contisbury Head, from Lynmouth © p ward 2017
driftwood arrangement, Lynmouth, North Devon © p ward 2017
finding a temporary equilibrium, Lynmouth, North Devon © p ward 2017
with many thanks to family and friends, new and old…
© P Ward 2017
* http://www.majidziaee.com/index.php/en/
** Les Trois Galets de Marc Averly is a project by French artist Marc Averly (https://www.facebook.com/marc.averly) . He asks friends to photograph his hand formed wooden ‘galets’ in different places around the world and is compiling a fascinating and entertaining compendium of the images. Much of Marc’s work focuses on wood and trees, and he has a massive knowledge around the subject that he shares at interdisciplinary symposiums and workshops.
real time Sisters
Posted: October 31, 2017 Filed under: eARTh, the ash tree, Uncategorized | Tags: Arte Povera, arts research, Coldharbour Mill, ecopsychology, indigenous culture, poetry, Technology, Visual arts, West Somerset Leave a comment(Samhain) 311017
.
today time returns
and darkness drags us home, amidst swirling russet leaves,
to its familiar solstice resting place
as another year quietly slips away.
.
shadows lengthen
losing their resemblance to matter
and we descend into that underworld
of ancestors and past deities,
.
to industry and wonder,
to miraculous machines
and steam and noise –
hell for some, power for others –
.
weaving what was once made by hand
beneath clear open skies lit by a million stars,
connecting us to all that has been
and will ever be.
and the Sisters still sit
sharing their charms,
weaving mystery and fate
beyond our control or simple understanding.
tall chimney, Coldharbour Woollen Mill, Uffculme, Devon © p ward 2017
engine houses, bobbins and spinning machines , Coldharbour Woollen Mill, Uffculme, Devon © p ward 2017
skein maker, Coldharbour Woollen Mill, Uffculme, Devon © p ward 2017
threading the loom, Coldharbour Woollen Mill, Uffculme, Devon © p ward 2017
water wheel, Coldharbour Woollen Mill, Uffculme, Devon © p ward 2017
Last weekend I visited Dunster, a charming Medieval village in West Somerset with my family. We ‘watched’ stars inside an inflatable dome as part of Exmoor National Park’s Dark Skies program celebrating the unpolluted ‘darkness’ of the area and stayed at my brother’s cottage amongst the massive oaks and rich red soils of the Brendon Hills. On our way home we stopped off at Coldharbour Mill Museum in Uffculme, Devon, for one of their regular ‘Steam Up Days’. This restored working woollen mill is powered by water and steam engines (and electricity) and gives a fascinating insight into the ingenuity and industry involved in the production of wool and woven cloth over the last few centuries when Devon and Exmoor were one of the main centres for the wool trade in Britain. And all this on the days the clocks are turned back to solar time again and the Celtic New year begins – quite a brew for the imagination…
dunster, west somerset © p ward 2017
nettlecombe, west somerset © p ward 2017
© P Ward 2017
invisible friends
Posted: October 9, 2017 Filed under: activ8, eARTh, the ash tree, Uncategorized | Tags: Arte Povera, arts research, collaboration, ecopsychology, Feeling, poetry Leave a commentmusing upon the muse 91017
.
you warm me
encouraging and invigorating
my muscles, mind and breath
you are so close
yet not here
I long to share a meal, a drink, a show
a long slow walk home
valerian hapa-zome print © eARTh 2017
sometimes in life we encounter people
to whom we feel a deep attraction and connection –
a zap between the eyes
an undeniable pull towards,
unwarranted and unthought-of,
an often beautiful but emotionally inconvenient surprise.
whale shark on my doorstep © p ward 2017
yet circumstances mean our relationships are curtailed
or must take forms different from those we conventionally recognize.
contemporary communications may allow a frustratingly superficial contact,
hand written letters and gifts another, maybe more real,
sometimes even these are not possible
when we honestly crave a wholly physical means –
eye contact and the subtle nuance of body language
the time and space to freely exchange the energetic dynamic
that common interests and diverse histories reveal,
to share a meal, a drink and a long walk home
hands entwined
dragged through sand, woolacombe bay © p ward 2017
as an artist, such desire may act as muse:
a light in the darkness, a spark of imagination
exploring the unknown undiscovered spaces,
a chance to meet the familiar through another’s eyes,
or identify and examine new aspects of ourselves –
dreams undreamt , fears as yet unconfronted, renewed aspirations,
detaching oneself from the mundane,
an illusion or delusion
but inspiration all the same;
or fuel to intention
to communicate more wholly
through pathways beyond the visible
ground earth pigment rings © eARTh 2017
and for those of us who entertain such fantasies about a subtle sense –
who honour a telepathic connection,
like that between a mother and child
or soul-mates
or lovers,
then the distance between may become an ethereal whisper
a breath, a feeling, a warmth, a glow
a longing acceptance of fate
still not manifest
buoyancy aids and clamped wheel, hele © p ward 2017
so maybe this is ‘hope’
or merely wishful thinking
a means to find strength and courage in isolation
to believe in another way
in spirit
in love
.
I do
.
(with love and thanks to those who are not here)
© P Ward 2017
