Inspired by Karl Blossfeldt: Ceramic artist Astrid Dahl

Astrid Dahl is a South African based ceramic artist showing work in Liberty at London and such places since meeting Neville Tricket of Saint Verde  fame who introduced her to the photographic work of Botanist Karl Blossfeldt's images of magnified flowers, buds and seed pods. Last week I chanced upon the work of this artist and just now I discovered at art propelled  on an April 4/09 post this story re the Blossfeldt connection which anyone familiar with the archival material of this extraordinary photographer will recognise as the inspiration behind these ceramic pieces. See more work at Amaridian in New York and the artist's website. 

Rex Ray's Flamboyant Formalism

A couple of years ago when visiting my favourite bookshop in Newcastle 'The Bookhog ' the manager Suzanne (who happens to be one of those quietly extraordinary people who knows her customers well and acts as mentor and book whisperer...well...I needed a name for what she does...so I had to make that one up on the spot) came up to me and put a book in my hands and said buy this one Sophie! Rarely a false step on her part in recommending many a book I took time to pour through REX RAY ART and DESIGN ...and yes... it came home with me! 
I was very drawn to his process of working and his story was compelling, visually and otherwise. An article posted at Artworks magazine  in 2008 covers the story quite succinctly. A Chronicle Books publication the book on REX RAY was indeed appealing. It felt Iike I was entering a world of colour and form when I opened the pages. 
Douglas Coupland says in the foreward this art manages to be "unslick - but...superslick at the same time." Its not that no one else has worked with these materials or shapes ...they are certainly not unique to him. BUT there is a singularity in his particular immersion in colour and form that works like its very much his own language...born of something authentic within the artist that has found it way out into the world, without contrivance, or being added on or copied. 



In the last 2 images shown above the walls are filled with collaged works on paper. Anyone who has attempted similar exercises with cut and paste know poetry does not arrive simply out of placing and gluing some bits of colour on paper. The rhythm here is evident though...in shapes, in tones and hues, in variations on several key themes. He listens to music intensely in his studio whilst at work and the music seems to very much be alive in the work. I'm tempted to think of them as colour poems.
Some have been quick to pass him off as 'too' graphic, 'too' design oriented. However, having worked compusively with a particular elliptical form in my work over some years, long before seeing this work, I find it only too easy to recognise how deeply a form can live in you and need to be articulated over and over.

The artist at work (above) earlier this year on a 9' x 25' canvas bound for the Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver. Visit the website here.  NB Michael Paglia wrote an essay for the Chronicle book on the artist coining the phrase 'Flamboyant Formalism'. 

art interventions by nuria mora

This morning I came across Nuira Mora's work through Poppytalk  - listed under decayed - in a  post featuring work from the artists's website of paintings carried out to cover graffittied walls. The characteristic geometric signature that is Nuria Mora's at once enlivens and calms the eye. Her website comes across as distinctive, novel and charming, yet somehow gutsy. Do have a look at www.nuriamora.com  - more art interventions like this I would love to see. Nuira's visual language appears quite sparse and abstracted but there is a richness to her ideas that became apparent as I investigated further. The watercolour I included hints at an interesting vision for living environments in urban settings. I'd like to read more on this artist!





























watercolour work






at the Tate Modern 
NB Nuria's exhibitions that I viewed form the Tate and Berlin were collaborative projects. 



from planetprozess in Berlin 







cosmopoetica  in Cordoba

growing ideas

Both images are of thriving community gardens in Newcastle, taken several months ago

Its great to see so much activity happening around the revival of growing our own food in our communities, and not just in our own backyards. Artists have long celebrated the garden and table, shared plates and conversation---frequently in their art as well as in life. When visiting friends in Newcastle several months ago I loved seeing all the permaculture gardens being planned or well underway in friend's backyards. The 2 images above however are from community initiatives that are open to all to visit and work in.

I went with friends Will and Maureen to the Wickham community garden (pictured at top) one grey and chilly Sunday. Everyone was very welcoming and the wood-fired oven was turning out fabulous pizza for volunteers to lunch on. This was very pleasant...all the greens of course straight from the garden. Not only was the garden lush and well cared for, but it was a most visually pleasing environment in an area that is a little bereft of lush gardens all around. It is however next to a large park full of magnificent trees where a market takes place weekly I think. There were children playing in and around the garden, some in a purpose built playground, others digging and planting or talking to the chooks! 

That evening over at the house of other friends I was taken on a walk in the dark with 3 generations of this family...all of us carrying umbrellas...to the local community garden to pick our salad for dinner. That slight drizzle of rain only added to the anticipation of enjoying such a fresh salad. Jen (in the second photo) dressed in coat, hat and umbrella proudly showed me this delightful garden in a rather prominant place that is being nutured by locals and remains untouched by interlopers even though it s not gated or fenced off and is close to the ocean and areas that draw large crowds constantly.

I thought I would add this link below to a local Brisbane initiative  ECOBOTANICA by Linda Brennan. She is conducting workshops in Brisbane at the Roma St Parklands in the midst of the CBD and also at the Mt Coo-Tha Botanical Gardens focusing on the requirements of this  this particular sub-tropical climate. Linda also designs and implements food and herb gardens for homes and - something I think is a brilliant initiative - for workplaces. A friend Chrissy sent me this link this morning and I thought it well worth sharing! Ecobotanica's website is under construction but if you click here  it will lead you to the site and to the excellent brochure full of workshops. Linda Brennan is currently president of the Qld branch of the Australian Institute of Horticulture. Her workshops on growing fruit for the local sub-tropical climate sound particularly interesting and are based at the Botanical Gardens. I did like the idea of the workshop 'Thai garden for busy cooks " though! I'm very keen on the herbs one associates with the cooking of South East Asia.

oldest living things in the world - at The Long Now

Published September 29th, 2009 on The Long Now blog was a post titled Oldest Living Things in the World which is the name of the blog by photographer Rachel Sussman, presenting the fascinating research she conducts  travelling the world to document the oldest living things. Got to her blog to learn more on what her concerns are.

The Long Now foundation (quoting from About Long Now) 'was established in 1996 to develop the Clock and Library projects, as well as to become the seed of a very long-term cultural institution. This foundation wants to provide a counterpoint to today's "faster/cheaper" mind set and promote "slower/better" thinking. We hope to creatively foster responsibility in the framework of the next 10,000 years'.

Interestingly the name was coined by Brian Eno, one of the founding board members upon moving to New York where he found that "here" and "now" meant "this room" and "this 5 minutes" as opposed to the larger here and now he was used to in England. The foundation adopted 'the long now' as their title as they try to stretch out what people consider as now.Great reading for anyone interested in these ideas!

Brian Eno's 77 Million paintings 

the time will come when my pictures will be understood...

I found this work by artist Emma Kunz first on Data is nature , then came across it again tonight on butdoesitfloat.com . Kunz lived from 1892 to 1963 in the German speaking part of Switzerland and was recognised in her lifetime as a healer, though she described herself as a researcher. Her reputation as an artist is perhaps more substantial now than when she was alive. Visit this website  for details and more images of the work of this quite remarkable artist for her time.             NB:  Both Data is nature and but does it float are sites worth visiting at length.

breathing out...

Slow day today...a quick post...it's been a very busy week or two...so full that today I am looking forward to sitting somewhere to breathe out for awhile, with a delicious coffee maybe (i'd like this one right now actually!) ...and then...a swim would be nice....although it wont be this favourite pool of mine which I had to post another photo of just now. Looking at this makes me feel lighter! This is from the Ocean Baths where I used to swim before I moved to Brisbane last year. It was a truly divine place for relaxing...the ocean vista...the size, moods and colours of the pool.

I've not yet downloaded photos from Botaniqe ...Soon!  Last night I did get to see the film 'Julia and Julie' which suited my mood perfectly. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea...but with the blogging angle of this story...it had that extra note of interest ! Anyone who understands the long, slow effort to produce a a truly worthwhile body of creative work would perhaps relate to aspects of the stories of these 2 leading women...especially the older of the two!