Changing Priorities
Yellow Wagtail and a Song Thrush done and Whitelands Farm is finished. I have other things to do now and the fourth mosaic will not be my next task.
But I thought I would write a detailed description here of the ideas behind the mosaic, something I should maybe have done for the previous two mosaics as well.
So here goes:
The overall theme running through all seven mosaics is that they were inspired by the ecological report written for the developer of the site, and generally focus on the animals found there. The second consistant feature is they are all maps (exept one). Whitelands Farm is really the only development ever to have happened on the site in recent times. I found drawings in the local records office showing the farm buildings in 1897 and more buildings being added in 1921. The centre of the mosaic is a layout of the farm buildings in 1921-23. I have depicted animals and plants mentioned in the report as having occupied the site prior to the developing building works. The design uses text as well to list a couple of other species found there. The outer ring of text lists previous human activity on the farm site, which includes ancient burial mounds which I understand will be covered with soil and be in the school field. Finally each corner shows a bird mentioned in the report as the type of bird found on the farm.
So my next tasks are ever such a lot of accounting, preparations for a project in Southampton, a meeting in london about changing plans for a mosaic in Nunhead. And the other thing I really have to do is the painted map of The Wildart Trail.
My drawings for the interpretation panels on this woodland trail have been installed and this has prompted the finishing of this final piece of work. It is a map of the trail created by the visitors to the woods on a woodlandland festival day. I started it on the day but have been unable to finish it……Now I have to finish it as it is the last piece of the whole Blean Project Programme which is coming to an end.
The trouble is my head is so somewhere else, and my mind scrambled with other stuff. I look at it and it reminds me of a Breugal painting called ‘Childrens Games’ which has the entire picture covered in small isolated details. The members of the public who painted the images on each did something where there was a bit of available space to create this woodland map.
I have to get to grips with this somehow? And I love painting and so rarely do any…..but this is a corker.
All I can say is…… paint is a much more flexible medium than mosaic, so whats your problem num-nuts? GET ON WITH IT!
