The inevitable.
Well, it has happened I have gone and bought wood and the sculptures and ideas are getting bigger.
Time has been moving fast and I am already passed the half way mark of the residency. With the sprinkling of bank holidays over the last two weeks my daily routine of work has become disjointed. I have been hugely distracted by many ideas, each spawning from a previous sketch or play with materials. The pace with which this is happening has been hard for me to juggle and sometimes I feel frustrated that I can't just keep with one notion. But to today I have enjoyed skipping from one project to the next and as these ideas develop they have begun to support each other.
I realise that my last blog said that I was going to concentrate on the ideas behind "everyone sees the wind blow". These ideas are growing but I recently discovered a zigzag structure that has so much potential I can't stop thinking about it.
I am still collecting sap and have found a good filtering system so now more than ever it looks like treacle but smells better. My visits to the forest are now very efficient. My first visit involved me lugging my drill, a chisel, two knifes, razor blades, several plastic bags, pliers, a jar, and several drill bits as well as two sketchbooks, sun cream, water and a camera! Now, I know all I really need is a jar, mosquitoe spray and a knife. My last visit included me trying to explain to some curious French walkers what I was doing. I think there was an understanding, though trying to explain any reason for my actions was definitely beyond me.
I have also been absorbed by a nest of carpenter bees which have inhabited a sculpture in the courtyard at L'h du Siege. The concept of this occurrence is almost a too perfect metaphor of art vs. nature. These creatures are admirable builders and dig tunnels into wood, something that is quite phenomenal considering their size and the density of wood. Sadly the quantity of bees has been multiplying so the unenviable decision had to be made. I killed one and it made me feel very sad, it now lives in a jar in my studio. I want to make some art with it, almost to pay homage, but that is another realm of ideas.
