Landscape Art

Mother nature has been calling me and getting my hands in the soil feeds my soul. So instead of painting, I have been creating art outdoors which I call "Landscape Art."

I vowed not to own a lawn mower again. I planted an orchid and covered the ground with arbor chips.

I had one more patch of grass to terminate and one thing lead to another. First I used black edging material and was excited by the line. Next, I saw a path. I then bought some soil with compost and created beds for plantings. Last came a stone path. Ta Da!

Here is what it looks like:









Notice Ebony in the photos?

Color, YES!

Coming out of the winter doldrums any sign of color outdoors is exciting. Yes, a few crocus have been sighted, but what has made me really ecstatic are the hardy cyclamen plants I purchased in the fall from the Perennial Gardener, Olympia, Washington.

If you have never heard of cyclamen, chances are you have probably seen these Mediterranean members of the primrose family. Cyclamen are very popular flowering houseplants that are exceptionally beautiful and very striking. They are commonly sold in supermarkets, retail stores, and florist shops, and their immense popularity continues to grow.

Cyclamen are known for their beautiful deep green foliage adorned with interesting silver patterns and shading that resembles the finest marble. The foliage can be lobed, kidney-shaped, round, or heart-shaped, and it is just as lovely as the flowers perched above on long sturdy stems.

The flowers are a beautiful sight to behold. They look as if they have been turned inside out, and they boast various shades and intensities of red, pink, lavender, and white. It is no wonder why these beautiful houseplants are so popular.

The hardy cyclamens are just as lovely. Especially now when very little is blooming. Here are my lovelies:





I must admit to getting out the "sluggo" (slug and snail bait that will eliminate slugs and snails while posing no threat to pets or wildlife.) to allow these beauties to reach their full potential.

Artist of the Outdoors

Recently a friend recommended I watch the video Rivers And Tides Working With Time featuring Andy Goldsworthy.

I give it FIVE stars!

Firstly, the photography is outstanding, but most of all Andy Goldsworthy is a phenomenal artist at heart. He lives and breathes creativity. He "performs" his art outdoors using various aspects of nature.

After watching him create, I found a bit of kinship to him having created a winding river of stones around my house. He and I both seem to connect with the winding, looping, unsymmetrical shape reminiscent of a meandering river.

Andy Goldsworthy is a British photographer, sculptor and environmentalist living in Scotland. He specialises in site specific art as well as Land art. For Goldsworthy nature is no longer just a concept, “My art makes me see again what is there and in this respect I am also rediscovering the child within me…”

Land Art, Earth Art or Earthworks is a movement which emerged in the U.S in the late 60’s and early 70’s. The main theme of this work is that the land is not just a scene or exhibition space for which a sculpture is to be placed. But rather the land is the work and whatever the artist has created shares a special relationship with its surroundings and is a part of it, for without the land the work could not exist.

Most pieces of Land Art have temporary life span, existing only for a short time before being absorbed by the nature around it, or left to erode or decay naturally, this itself being as much the work as its original form. The works are remembered only by photographs or film.

'Maple Leaves arrangement' by Andy Goldsworthy, this piece fully sums up what Land Art is about, nature constructing and being the work, rather than the work being placed in nature.

'Cracked Rock Spiral' Andy Goldsworthy. Goldsworthy's work is a perfect example of Land Art, as, taken out of its environment this piece would not work, the rocks could only be positioned on sand and in little time would be swept away by the sea. This time based element is a strong theme in Goldsworthy's work.

By the way, I found this video at my local library.

More Day Light to Create

That extra hour of daylight and the signs of spring sparked my creative juices today.  How about you? 

In between the desire to be outdoors in the sunshine, I began my second painting from the series of photographs which I took while in Mexico. I am mesmerized by the ice plant in bloom which grew profusely, cascading down the cliffs toward the ocean. There is something about the colors and movement?

Stay tuned as the next painting evolves..........