Breaking Ground

DANDELION CLOCKS

You tell the time: puff as hard as you can to blow the seeds off – ONE O'CLOCK – blow again – TWO O'CLOCK – blow again – THREE O'CLOCK blow until all the fairies have blown away – ELEVEN O'CLOCK.

Catch a fairy and make a wish. Let it go again.

Dandelions – piss en lit – wet the bed – it is diuretic.

You can eat the leaves in a salad.

Coffee can be made from the roasted tap root.

COUNTING SEEDS

I think I might have developed a new obsession.

It started in a small way, counting the number of seed pods on an onion seed head & carefully mounting them in my workbook.

Then I started "deconstructing" an artichoke seed head, numbering & mounting every stamen & carefully putting away the seeds to follow suit with them when time allows.

Last week, I noticed the dandelion growing outside my front door & wondered how many seeds were on each "clock". And how many "clocks" might it produce over the summer?

I'm horrified to report that during my counting activities this week, I've discovered that it has already produced 45 "clocks" so far since it sprang up a week or two ago! Today, I'm going to start mounting and numbering the seeds. Maybe then I'll draw them.

Note to Roz: why are they called clocks? And did you used to call them fairies when you saw them blowing in the wind?

WE DID ANOTHER TALK TODAY

We did another talk (or two talks) today at the University of Brighton Printmaking Department. This was part of our Residency. In addition to using the screenprinting facilities we have given student tutorials and this presentation.

We focussed on How to create an Life in Art after University. Each of us showed slides and talked for half an hour about how we had made an art life – the different mix of activities from applying to funding, creating residencies, getting awards, further study, leading workshops, making work and working in other jobs for money.

There were lots of questions after and as always you learn so much from putting together a talk and presenting your experience to others. You find a path through the muddle which clears the way to go forward.

TALK ABOUT THE WORK – CLAREMONT STUDIO, HASTINGS

We talked about Collaboration at the TATW last night. We had planned our talks separately without consultation for the first time. Each of us presented our view of working together and asked for comments and responses from the artists who had come.

We wanted to notice what we had gained, and what we had lost from working together on Breaking Ground. To consider how we work alongside each other. To wonder whether we could adapt, improve, do it better for Stage 2 of the project.

We had some interesting and challenging feedback. One person saw the working pattern as 'very female', 'no conflict'. Someone suggested swapping a piece of work and the other person responding, making something with that piece.

For me it clarified the way I want to explore relationships and the avenues I do not wish to go down.

Annabel Tilley who organises TATW took some photos of the evening. Esther Appleyard introduced and managed the evening.

MORE BEANS

More bean photos have arrived. This time from Germany – Frankfurt an der Oder – from Wiebke and Benno Tetzlaff – we visited each other last summer:

Dear Roz,

It will work :- Though the weather has been awful this spring Benno did it. He planted the magic bean. You can see it on the photos. Now we ( sorry he) will look after it, water it and take some more pictures for you. The sunshine will help, I hope so. In summer we will have a huge bean. Come here and see!