Artist in Residence – New Ferry Butterfly Park

We had a work day last Sunday at the Park, it was a beautiful day so lots of volunteers turned up and it’s starting to look good now.

I did some more work on the Twigwam though its far from finished, the structure is there now. I need to bind some of it up with some sort of twine or raffia, something that doesn’t quite cover but will make it more of an enclosed space. Plan then is to ask kids to collect leaves, feathers etc form around the park and start filling in the gaps.

Hayley turned up with her husband and they worked hard at retrieving bricks from the back of the site, some of them covered in moss and were beautiful.

She did a test run of one of the insect habitats on a stone base, I’ve added a photo. I think it’s great, love the idea that we’re fighting the land owner who is a builder, he wants to take the butterfly park back for construction purposes and here we are building multi-storey flats on site (albeit for insects.)

I also got very up close and personal with a pair of mating tortoiseshell butterflies, they stayed very still and didn’t fly away, for obvious reasons.

It was the A.G.M of the Butterfly Park Monday night It was interesting in that I used to work in the past for large charities that had a really good turnover of donations through grants and fundraising. This is so different, hardly any fundraising as such goes on, it’s nearly all through donations of visitors and well wishers really and there is hardly any money at all considering they are a charity. Don’t get me wrong, they can cover the costs of running the place but not much else.

It has a lot to do with the landowner, if the Council can complete the complusory purchase order and secure the safety of the park, they can start applying for grants then. It’s impossible to apply for funding for workshops not knowing if you’re actually going to be there in the future. In court on 11th May.

So much hangs on this, I’ve grown so attached to the site, it would be heartbreaking to see it go back into the hands of a builder.

Spent today at the Butterfly Park, I went to let one of my artists, Karon, in to have a second look so she could draw up some designs.

Kids off for Easter so I thought as it was a gorgeous sunny day they could come with, took a load of Easter Eggs and hid them so the kids were kept busy for an hour – FAB!

Had a wander and a play, found some hazel branches by the compost heap and decided to try and make a wigwam type structure.

I had some wire and string in the car (always have stuff with me in case I feel the need to make things) and using a branch of a tree as support have started to form the skeleton of the ‘twigwam’.

Back on Sunday to do some more. I don’t want to have a cover over it and i don’t want it looking iike a willow sculpture at all so I think I might hang things from it.

Will use fishing wire tied to the cross branches and hang things that I find in the Park, so stones, bits of brick,twigs,dead leaves,feathers etc.

Have no idea if it will work yet but it was a fantastic way to while away half a day in the sun.

Managed to spot a Peacock and a Comma Butterfly as well as a yellow ladybird and finally got a photograph of the blue snail.

What’s new in the park?

Not a lot, it’s been a while since I have paid a visit.

However…in the background, lots of things have been happening.

Emma Kemp has submitted her design for the trail, it sounds fantastic. An interactive percussion installation. Can’t wait to see it now.

I have contacted a possible laser etching person, through a friend who is a memorial mason (thanks to Rob Turner for that idea) It seems somehow that it’s not what you know…

SO this guy is also a memorial mason but has just invested in a laser etching machine and so I have to draw some work up for him to try out and then we go from there. Haven’t discussed cost yet but he also needs an artist to draw up some memorial stone ideas so a deal may well be done. :)

I have completed the design for one of the benches and am in the process of organising some steel to be cut and etched as a back rest,may turn out a bit expensive but we shall see. My trusty husband will have to help me make it as I can’t even lift one of the railway sleepers, those things are crazy heavy!

I’m meeting Karon at the park on Thursday so will be doing some land art on that day, I had a mad idea the other day that may just work but I’m unsure yet so watch this space.

Then its another clearing/weeding day on Sunday with the volunteers and the AGM on Monday, thats the day I get to talk about the open day and plans for the summer months with the people who run the Butterfly Park.

This week will mainly be me trying to be a graphic designer – posters,flyers and booklets to be designed. I have friends who are real graphic designers, wonder if I should call in a favour?

I’m now tweeting for the Butterfly Park if anyone wants to follow me or the park or both:

http://twitter.com/wirralbutterfly

http://twitter.com/cazramsay

There is also now a facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Ferry-Wirral/New…

if you want to become a fan, please do.

Thought I’d add some photo’s of the Botanical Illustration ‘Information Boards’ I’ll be doing at the park.

These were etched onto perspex using a dremmel, very hard work and I couldn’t use my hand for hours after. May well look into laser etching instead, depends on cost I suppose.

The Boards are meant to be clear, I didn’t want big colourful signs detracting from the nature park. I felt if they were transparent people would have to get up close to actually read them. May hide some around the park too, if people know there are 30 but can only see 20, will it make them want to find the others I wonder?