Nature Art

[Boots]

I have just spent tonight roaming about in the wonderful world of nature art and am contemplating just what to do with all this new found enthusiasm.

Are there any artists on sish who work with nature? Earth, stone, plants, trees etc? If so, I would love to see some of your work.

I just found this guy, who hails from Andy's part of the world and has also ventured over here, and feel really inspired by his work in progress...
http://www.museetfordanskkunst.dk/kraka ... harris.htm

So much so, I want to finish it...lol.

I have a few days to myself and think I might just see what I can come up with. For some time I have considered sculpting a Ned Kelly down near the gate...as I figured his form would be fairly easy to tackle with mud, but have never really fancied myself as much of a sculptor. I did pottery and ceramics for a while, but preferred the clay building style of pottery. I think I might just give it a whirl... heaven knows what I'll come up with, but it could be interesting.

I also stumbled across an Art Farm Project that took place over in the UK somewhere too. They made a cob wall as a community project and decorated it with all sorts of natural and recyled bits and pieces. It was pretty cool, and think I might have to try something like that too. Not sure what my chances are of rounding up anyone actually interested in doing it with me, but hey, I have a whole lifetime to plod along with it, if need be.

Have no idea where this artistic urge came from... but will run with it for a bit...

[Dave]

Have no idea where this artistic urge came from... but will run with it for a bit.

It's great when that urge hits you I think you should run with it. When I was up in the Artic last year me and my mate Steve made a snowman version of Munch's scream. It was just for a laugh really but it didn't look too bad in the end even if I do say so myself, will have to try and find the picture to show you at some point.

Have you heard of an artist called Andrew Goldsworthy? He works using just natural materials here's a link to some of his stuff http://www.sculpture.org.uk/image/504816331403

If you type his name into google images you should come up with a bit more too.

[Shirley]

Andy Goldsworthy was the first person that sprang to mind when I read your post Boots... you go girl.... listen to those natural instincts.

[Boots]

I want to know how he holds those slithers of rock in place? They look awesome. I hadn't heard of him, but have never really looked into it much before.

There was a woman I knew for a while down on the Gold Coast who was really into way out art. She was very quirky and used to get all sorts of weird contracts for funky things she'd whip up with huge $ attached to them. She'd be consigned to 6 or 12 month contracts and often whip them together in a week. I remember her charging at me in a shopping centre once, all frenzied because she had a week till her piece had to be on display. She needed a boat and was literally grabbing anyone she saw and and repeating, "I need a boat. Do you have a boat?" I just laughed at the time, but later saw her piece in the paper. She had found her boat (an old damaged dinghy) and designed a centrepiece for an artshow based around a beach theme with all sorts of recycled stuff. It was pretty cool.

[circlecross]

while I wouldn't profess to being anywhere near Andy Goldsworthy, I did some nature based art workshops with some kids who were involved with a regen project near them. I had lots of ideas, and only the initial ones got used, but they made a web of wyrd (weaving on a plate, then weaving in bits of rubbish, if you want to make a statement about that, or windfallen items to show what is in the environment), and designing flower bedsd to "pretty" the place up using images of what animals will be found there, etc etc. Further projects included "biodegradable footprints", but time and money ran out. Hey ho.

[dibnah]

i find working on the beach a great way to explore the environment and also the inpermanence of artwork as you can make something but only within the short widow between the tides.

David Nash is also a good artist to look at, although his work is more sculptural than Goldsworthy his enviromental interventions are equally interesting, planting living sculptures, sod swopping! and the movement of a boulder down stream over a couple of years.

robert smithson's spiral jetty is a good one too. He also made a floating island, great idea for future generations, with rising sea levels.Floating allotments.

http://www.new-york-art.com/hot-floating-island.htm

[Boots]

Well not sure what happened to my get up and go, but it seems to have got up and went.

Went out and wandered about in the mudpit, but never actually got to forming anything much at all, other than a few more bricks. Just kinda followed habit, I think.

Can't say I have been at all creative really... painted a few tyres, just to see what they look like coloured, and would much rather just see them full of plants again, I think. Managed to get a heap of seeds in this week, but it is already warming up again, so have a feeling I am too late. Tomatoes might be ok under the shadecloth.

Did wonder if I could create the Sydney Harbour bridge with shade cloth... and went and collected lots of bit of it... only to decide it was too hot to be playing with such things...

I want to know about natural brush fences... they are English, I think? Has anyone done this or know how its done? Is it a particular type of plant that is grown for this? And can it be grown in place, or is it always cut and bound?