Sunday 12 May 2013

Day dreaming

I am a daydreamer. It isn't a bad thing. I'm happy with what I've got. Hoping daydreaming become my future. I'm dreaming of a simple living. Slow life with hens, fruit and vegatable garden and little workspace for my illustrations and crafts. Slow food. Countryside. Rural landscape. Walks. Nature. Family life. It doesn't seems much but is enough for me...

When I discovered Nikki McClure, it was like a ray of morning sunlight. Suddenly my own childhood memory flashed in front of my eyes and my own motherhood of raising my son close to nature.  My son loves our recent purchase, her book "Is it summer yet?". Simple life can be so inspiring, especially when so close to nature. The ilustrations are paper cuts which makes it even more impressive. Her work depicts simple living, motherhood, parental life, farmers life; everyday tasks and duties but also a celebration of life; laying in the grass, stopping to contemplate the peace and beauty of nature.  We absolutely fell in love with that book, so there is more to be ordered...





Tuesday 7 May 2013

The Gardener

This weekend I'm starting my art project 'The Gardener' (working title). The idea poped to my head long time ago, around autumn time last year I suppose. Only now, when a bit of warmth and sunshine came out I found myself atracted again to this idea.


PLOT (to follow)



This weekend I'm going to film at my friends allotment. I'll be digging, planting and dancing. We'll see whats gonna come out of that... I have no idea what I'll be doing... Never done an art video before, but it feels like a right tool to express myself.

Plants research.
It will vary from what I can  get on the green market and if it's the right time to plant them but these are the flowers that I would like to use in the project. I would also like to plant some herbs and maybe even stick some artificial flowers, but I'll see as I go...

Lily of the valley. They once were my favourite flowers. Only when reading about them today I found out how poisonous they are. The Christian legend says that the flower is also known as Mary's tears that it sprang from the weeping of the Virgin Mary during the crucifixion of Jesus. Other etiologies its coming into being from Eve's tears after she was driven with Adam from the Garden of Eden or from the blood shed by Saint Leonard of Noblac during his battles with a dragon. In europe the flower was percieved as a symbol of youth and prosperity. I think I would go with this meaning plus a personal statement.

Carnation. Pink carnations have the most symbolic and historical significance. According to a Christian legend, carnations first appeared on Earth as Jesus carried the Cross. The Virgin Mary shed tears at Jesus' plight, and carnations sprang up from where her tears fell. Thus the pink carnation became the symbol of a mother's undying love. I want to create motherhood conotations with that flower.

Hibiscus is a symbol of beauty and fertility. The tea is popular as a natural diuretic; it contains vitamin C and minerals, and is used traditionally as a mild medicine. In the Indian traditional system of medicine, Ayurveda, hibiscus, especially white hibiscus and red hibiscus, is considered to have medicinal properties. The roots are used to make various concoctions believed to cure ailments such as cough, hair loss or hair greying. I would like to use this plant to symbolise fertility and senescence (as an unescapable part of our live).

Rosemary. In the Middle Ages, rosemary was associated with wedding ceremonies. The bride would wear a rosemary headpiece and the groom and wedding guests would all wear a spring of rosemary, and from this association with weddings, rosemary evolved into a love charm. Newlywed couples would plant a branch of rosemary on their wedding day. If the branch grew, it was a good omen for the union and family.

 Incurve Chrysanthemums are symbolic of death and are used only for funerals or on graves, while other types carry no such symbolism... As part of a cycle of life this meaning would be quite significant although I'm not sure if I prefer a motherhood theme as a leading subject of the project.
 
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