Sometimes I wonder; Do I paint my own retina to fall asleep - and wake up - to...?

"When the soul wishes to experience something she throws an image of the experience out before her and enters into her own image."
(M. Eckhart)


Monday, May 18, 2015

A Spring of pause - and afterthought....

It's a different Spring this year;
After 4 years of 'The Enchanted Garden' exhibitions, I, and we, decided it was time for both the garden and ourselves to have a pause.
It's been 4 busy busy - and really amazing -  years.
But also filled with great sadness, as my mother passed away, so very suddenly.
For two years, after her passing, I have taken great comfort in working in the garden and with the annual exhibition.
The memory of my mother's constant work with threads; her fishing threads, fish nets, and her constant knitting projects, inspired two big installations:

In 2013 - I first started what I thought of as a 'Loom' in the forest;

'Ephemeral threads' (of jute) set up like a loom - ready for whatever Nature may bring.....(see previous blog)
It soon turned into this idea and project of combining my own painting with my mother's work with threads... TAPESTRIES!
And finally, after months of collaboration with Flanders Tapestries, I created
a room with four tapestries (threads, threads, threads - ) and a wishing well.
based on paintings. I called the installation
'Forest Temple'.

('Gold Leaf', Tapestry, 140cm x 100cm, and 'Wishing Well' (Installation)
Photo: Ann Schmitz)
 
('Fluttering Wings 1', Tapestry 2m x 3m - Photo: Tone Aa.)

('Fluttering Wings 2', Tapestry 2m x 3m -  Photo: Tone Aa.)
 
('Carina', Tapestry, 120 cm x 80 cm - Photo: Tone Aa.)
 
As a documentation to this project I made also a book:
 
 
 
Composer/musician Nicky Bendix created a beautiful and atmospheric sound installation, which played throughout the exhibition period.
 
 

In 2014 my attention turned back to the forest, and my initial 'big loom'.

And so, one loom soon turned into another....and another.....and finally I had created a whole big 'Room of Threads' in the middle of the forest of 'Art Sanctuary's Enchanted Garden'.
 
'The Thread Room'






 
'Room of Threads - The Threads of the Norns'
Photo: Tone Aa.
 
Again Composer/Musician Nicky Bendix created a sound installation,
called  'Threads of Nornir' , which played throughout the exhibition period.
This music installation was made available as a CD, to which I created the full cover.
*
 
Also - this year was the year to cut back some of the many willows in this garden -
and I delved into my longtime dream of trying out what I'd heard: 'Put a willow branch into the ground ...and it will sprout!'
So - here is the
 
'Forest Chapel'
 
 
 
 
(Update will naturally follow....!)
 
During the exhibition there were some very special performances in the garden by
 Virginie Verdier (dance)
 and Ingrid Bourgeois (violin)
 
Some of my favorites were certainly the two related to my own 'Forest Chapel' and 'The Thread Room'
 

 
(See more at Art Sanctuary's Blog)
 
 And - my facination with the possibilities of the willows didn't stop there....
'Liminal Trail'

'Arches'
All to be updated

And then - of course -
The result of a fantastic visit to the 'antique-street' in Brussels with my good friend and antique and brocante specialist Anne-Catherine Huysmans. Result: In all 15 UNIQUE tiny little chairs....resulting in here 13

'The Forest Council'

'Forest Council' (13 small chairs)
 
This garden is big, and during the seasons there are lots of things that need to be gathered up.... branches falling after storms is certainly one of my activities -
So why not:
'Château Corbeau/Crow Castle/Kråkeslott'
'Kråkeslott' - Branches in a circle, 2m x 2,5 m
 
And a
'Forest Gate'
 

 
A 'Golden Apple'
and
'A Wishing Place'

 
In the meantime my two little nieces, Sofie and Sara, came to visit, inspiring several of the paintings I call my
'GIRLS - GIRLS - GIRLS' series;
of course about girls and childhood, also my own.
'Awesome'

'Blomsterpike'
 
 
 
And so
we arrive in the early part of Spring - again.....
now 2015
A Spring of poems, stories, and fairtales...
 

And then there is Plûme;

Plûme arrived as a result of this pause
and afterthought -
on the very, very last day of Winter...leading into the very first day of Spring: