Sunday, 23 March 2014

The Environmental Disruption Caused by Man vs Nature Article

The balance of life and the turning of the food-energy cycle worked perfectly in the original wilderness.
ILLUSTRATION: MOTHER EARTH NEWS STAFF

Back casting Into the Future

Back casting into the future: a powerful tool for developing creative pathways towards a sustainable ...
Man-made rot is eating at the heart of nature, we are despoiling the heritage of our sons, our grandsons, and their grandsons.
And now — direct from England — the world's most conscientious ecology cartoon feature. A little overstated for our American tastes, perhaps, but full of real meat, nonetheless. Ah, if we only had a cartoon series like this on our side of the pond! But, since we don't MOTHER EARTH NEWS presents Mr. Crabtree Crusades! Read this issue's entire comic strip here.

Man vs Nature

The balance of life and the turning of the food-energy cycle worked perfectly in the original wilderness. It could have run on indefinitely if man had not settled instead of wandering, grown crops instead of hunting. When he did, man vs nature caused great ruptures in nature's balance. But nature is adaptable as long as her most important law is observed — that what comes from the soil must be returned to the soil. Over the many centuries farming man has observed that law and nature has accepted him in partnership. This has changed in our time. Chemical farming now takes from the soil but does not return to the soil what it has taken. So, year by year, the soil is made poorer, the humus destroyed. Now we are paying the price.
The havoc that sprays cause can be assessed by looking where they do not penetrate. The prehistoric ditch is a deep defile, man–made in the Iron Age, 3,000 years ago. All about it lie the ravaged farm lands, but in the ditch there is in miniature the world that Mr. Crabtree remembers. The scent of wild thyme is on the air and butterflies and flowers, seldom or never to be seen outside, come in their seasons. Cowslips and primroses bloom in April, wild orchids come in May and June. The ditch and all that lives in it have been spared because has not been worthwhile for anyone to try to turn its soil into profit. It has been allowed by that accident to fall into wilderness area, a reminder of past beauty.


From my last post regarding Nature Ruins, this article was the first to give me the idea from moving onto ruins and their surrounding to nature and their corruptions to take back what was once theirs. Here is the link below:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/man-vs-nature-zmaz75ndzgoe.aspx#ixzz2wpK5uIho

11+ of the most beautiful abandoned places and modern nature ruins...

Abandoned Mill from 1866. Sorrento, Italy
italy

Tunnel of Love, Kleven, Ukraine
tunnel

Swallowed by Nature, Taiwan. Photo by cock_a_doodle_do
green

Herdman’s Mill. Photo By Martino ~ NL
mill

St Dunstan-in-the-East EC3R. Photo by yorkshire stacked
duncan

St Etienne by Jurg Roessen
church

Ivy Ruins by John Neville Cohen
belgium

Buchanan Castle Corridor by Bora Horza
castle

Abandoned railroad in France
When the outside comes inside, the world is inside out. The veil of vegetation creeping over structural collapse leaves bewitching ruins.
france

Abandoned Stone Cottage, Ireland. Photo by ~LeiraEnkai
cottage

Abandoned church in autumn. Photo by *CainPascoe
church

Nature Conquers All In the End

This is what i'm currently looking at mid way into my Final Major Project which is Nature Ruins. When mankind moves on, nature moves in for the kill. It is nature and the elements of nature that make decay beautiful. In Man vs Nature, nature laughs last.

Mankind maintains a complex relationship with the environment. Basically we see what we want and take it. Then when we are out of money, or it becomes inconvenient to keep it, we toss it away. Mother Nature is ticked. Nature is not a passive victim, but an active force. At the final resting place of this old fire truck, nature moves in for the kill.

When derelict and abandoned things are left to the elements, there are varying states of overgrowth. As nature reclaims objects, it is both beautiful and creepy. You can almost hear the wind whispering “Muhahaha” near these churches as nature strikes back with a wild growth of vengeance.

Sunday, 16 March 2014

Tree Photography












"When I work, I work very fast, but preparing to work can take any length of time"

Hiyaa,

I haven't done a post in a while so I kicked myself off the couch and encouraged myself to show you guys what I've been up to.

So, as you can see by the quote I have used for my post title; basically explains what I've been pushing myself to do and complete by the end of this week!

The image on the left is one of the experimental built up canvases I've been working up to achieving. My ideas for experimentation and final piece ideas are coming together quite quickly which is better than me just flicking through my research trying to figure out ideas.

So for my built up canvases I am just using collage paper and glue. I will eventually use mod rock however, I would need to experiment with this first before I try emerging together a load of  materials I haven't used before...
Also with research I found out that I could use other ways to build up texture within the canvas this could be by getting a good medium and adding it to the "impasto" technique of building up layers within the paint and eventually build up an awareness of the image I am trying to portray with texture, color, movement and opposing dark to light effects.

Below are some of the experiments I have done so far this week:
Zoomed in image of a built up layer of printing ink paint which I used instead of acrylic as I was short on materials so I just used what I had.

Zoomed out image of the full built up example of one of the canvases I did using a mix of acrylic, printer ink paint and emulsion to separate the different strengths of medium use in the paint.

Watercolor and Biro experiment of Peckforton Castle when I visited a couple of weeks ago.

Biro, quink wash and oil pastel experiment of Beeston castle ruin.
Ink, emulsion and Biro experimental drawing depicted by John Piper and his built up materials he uses to create a mood or a meaning in his work.
Materials used: Quink, emulsion, Biro, oil pastel, printing paint, watercolor, fine liner for detailing.


Wednesday, 5 March 2014

Beeston Castle Visit!

Hellooo everyone!

Yes I have been sightseeing again but this time east across Peckforton Hills to Beeston Castle. Looks like i'm going to be doing a lot a running round for this final project! Phew.
Anyways all I did on Monday was take pictures and sketch the ruin I thought to be intriguing and inspiring to me and my work. 

Background Information:
Beeston Castle is a former Royal castle in BeestonCheshire, England, perched on a rocky sandstone crag 350 feet (107 m) above the Cheshire Plain. It was built in the 1220s by Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester, (1170–1232), on his return from the Crusades. In 1237, Henry lll took over the ownership of Beeston, and it was kept in good repair until the 16th century, when it was considered to be of no further military use, although it was pressed into service again in 1643, during the English Civil War. The castle was slighted (partly demolished) in 1646, in accordance with Cromwell's destruction order, to prevent its further use as a stronghold. During the 18th century the site was used as a quarry.


The castle is owned by English Heritage, and although in ruins, enough of the walls and towers are still in place to provide a clear picture of how it would have looked in its prime. It is open to visitors and has a small museum and visitor's centre. A lodge house was built by Tollemache in the 19th century, and was expanded in the 20th century. The lodge is two storeys high, with two circular towers either side of a central archway. It has been designated as a Grade II listed building.
Beeston offers one of the most spectacular views of any castle in England, stretching across eight counties from the Pennines in the east to the Welsh mountains in the west.

Below are some of the photos I took that day:

This week I'm planning on doing a variety of experiments that will help me determine what i can introduce to my work and of course my final piece.

I hope to have achieved this by Friday! If not there's always the weekend!

The materials I am planning on using are quink, bleach, and sand to get the texture of the eroded bricks and stones. As well as my usual techniques such as paint, ink, color pencils, watercolor etc...


Sunday, 2 March 2014

Artists To Consider...

Covehithe Church 1983, John Piper
Famous for his romantic landscapes, views of ruined churches, stately homes and castles, John Piper is considered to be one of the most significant British artists of the 20th Century.  Born in Epsom in 1903, Piper's inclination to become an artist was inhibited by his father's desire for him to join the family law firm. Following the death of his father in 1927, Piper enrolled in the Richmond School of Art and a year later the Royal College of Art, leaving without graduating in 1929.
Piper worked on stage designs and costumes for theater and ballet as well as the designs for seven operas by Benjamin Britten. A versatile artist, Piper also wrote articles on art and architecture and designed stained glass windows for a number of buildings including the new Coventry Cathedral.


At the outbreak of the Second World War, Piper was commissioned by the 'war artists' scheme' to capture the effects of the war on the British landscape. The devastation of the Blitz was easily assimilated to Piper's personal interest in old ruined buildings. He had also lost his eldest brother in the First World War which may have made the commission particularly poignant and enabled him to respond with his deepest emotion. During these years he traveled the country, capturing the atmosphere of places. These scenes do not always directly relate to bomb-damage but reflect, in Piper's unique way, a sense of loss and nostalgia. In 1944 he was appointed Official War Artist. Piper died at his beloved home in Fawley Bottom in 1992.



John's paintings reflect his affinity with such wonderful natural surroundings.
John Piper paintings are always in oils on board or on canvas. A restricted use of colour and an emphasis on line and form, set within the Cornish landscape dominate the paintings. John paintings often have a series of thin glazes applied one upon another. Sometimes earlier drawing is allowed to show through; whilst at other times the painting is deeply scratched and scraped, providing an intensity of depth and colour. At other times, particularly with smaller paintings, paint is applied more opaquely and with less over-drawing.
The paintings are full of contrasts and balances. Finely drawn or deeply etched lines are imposed on, or blend into soft blues, greens and ochres. The effect can be sharp or gentle, hard or soft. The paintings have a depth of content and colour but there is much surface work, too. Lines and textures on the surface mean that the work can be perceived at several levels. The image is often stark, even cold, but the treatment is always sympathetic so the end result is one of balance.

So...Hopefully this is what I would like to achieve once I gather my research, materials and have experimented with these profound techniques against my own.

Peckforton Castle Visit!

Hellooooo,

On Friday I had the chance to visit Peckforton Castle in Tarporly Cheshire all to collect first hand research on woodland surroundings and castles.

For my final major project i am going to conclude ruins, heritage sites, castles and woodland surroundings to produce my big final piece.

History:

Peckforton Castle is a country house built in the style of a medieval castle. It stands in woodland at the north end of Peckforton Hills 1 mile (2 km) northwest of the village of Peckforton, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. The house was built in the middle of the 19th century as a family home for John Tollemache, a wealthy Cheshire landowner, estate manager, and Member of Parliament. It was designed by Anthony Salvin in the Gothic style. The Tollemache family continued to live in the house until 1939. During the Second World War it was used as a hostel for physically handicapped children.
The building has not been used as a family residence since 1939. During the 1970s and 1980s it was used as a location for shooting films and television programmes. The castle was bought in 1988 by Evelyn Graybill, who converted it into a hotel. In 2006 it was purchased by the Naylor family, who expanded its use to include hosting weddings, conferences, and other functions.

Below are some of my photos taken that day:
The entrance lodge to the southeast of the castle is also listed at Grade II*. It was designed by Salvin and is constructed in red brick and stone with a tile roof. It consists of an archway with a round turret behind and a two-storey lodge to the left.





The castle is faced with red sandstone, and has lead, asphalt and tile roofs. It is mainly in three storeys with a five-storey tower. The buildings are arranged around a ward with the principal accommodation on the north side. It is surrounded by a dry moat which is bridged at the gatehouse.