#abbeyleix bog

[mirtapersonal]

postcard from the bog

[k00281262]

Blueprints Workshop

Today I did the blueprints workshop with Gemma, and I really enjoyed it. Cyanotype is a process that I have heard about in the past but never got a chance to try out before, so I was excited to get the opportunity to try it for myself!

Gemma began by showing us some examples of artists who use cyanotype, as well as explaining a bit about its history and the safety precautions we need to take. Then, we headed to the darkroom, where we spread a thin layer of solution onto paper.

I completed two prints: for the first one, I used the silhouette of my crochet blanket.

It is important to make sure to rinse the solution from the developed cyanotypes very thoroughly, so that they do not continue to expose once they have left the UV light machine.

My second print was of a photograph of the bog, which was exciting for me because it meant I finally got to figure out how to use the photocopier! To make these prints, we had to photocopy a negative image of our photo onto a special acetate. This was confusing at first, but I'm pleased that it's a skill I now have the hang of.

Above is my second print, of a picture I took of some soft mosses and grasses in Abbeyleix bog. Its not perfect, I definitely should have trimmed the edges and lined it up a bit straighter, but I think it has a lot of potential to work back into.

Overall, I really enjoyed this workshop, and am curious if there's ways I can integrate this process into my project going forward.

[sciencespies]

Eight Thousand Years of Bog Bodies Reveal a Grim Burial Tradition

https://sciencespies.com/news/eight-thousand-years-of-bog-bodies-reveal-a-grim-burial-tradition/

Eight Thousand Years of Bog Bodies Reveal a Grim Burial Tradition

When Roy van Beek was a teenager in the Netherlands in the early 1990s, he made a field trip to a local museum to see an exhibit of bog bodies: ancient human remains, both skeletal and naturally mummified, interred in the wetlands and spongy turf of northern Europe. He recalled one cadaver on display that was remarkably intact and oddly disorienting. The contorted body of a female about his age, roughly 4 feet 6 inches tall, who had lived in the first century A.D. “She had been left in a shallow mire south of the modern-day village of Yde,” said Dr. van Beek, now an archaeologist at Wageningen University & Research. Her skin had been tanned in the dark tea of the bog.

The Yde Girl, as she became known, was unearthed in 1897 by peat diggers so spooked by their gruesome discovery that they reportedly chorused “I hope the Devil gets the man that dug this hole” and fled the scene. The corpse was wearing a much-darned woolen cloak, which concealed a stab wound near her collarbone. A seven-foot-long strip of cloth, perhaps a waistband, was wound around her neck three times and its slipknot indented below her left ear. “The cloth was probably used to strangle her,” Dr. van Beek said. Most of the bog mummies that have turned up also show signs of multiple traumatic injuries and are presumed to be murder victims.

This month, Dr. van Beek was the lead author of the first comprehensive survey of bog bodies — a burial tradition believed to span 7,000 years. The multidisciplinary study, published in the journal Antiquity, created a database of more than 1,000 such bog people, some arrestingly lifelike, from 266 historical bog sites across a swath of northern Europe, from Ireland to the Baltic States.

Relying on recorded folklore, descriptions and depictions, newspaper reports and antiquarian records, a team of Dutch, Swedish and Estonian researchers focused on the rise of bog burials starting around 5200 B.C., in the Neolithic period and into the Bronze Age. The team took particular interest in the tradition’s efflorescence from 1000 B.C. to 1500 A.D., from the Iron Age to the medieval period.

“While a number of bog scholars have been arguing that we need to reconceptualize bog bodies to include the skeletonized remains from more alkaline bog lands and wetlands, this is the first major study to do it systematically,” Melanie Giles, a British archaeologist not involved in the study, said in an email. “The results are really quite important, showing a formal burial phase in the Bronze Age and a rise in violent deaths during the time in which these bogs, within certain hot spots, grow exponentially.”

The raised bog of Abbeyleix, Ireland, one of the sites included in the recent study of bog bodies.Roy van Beek

Tollund Man, a bog body dating to the fifth century B.C. and recovered in 1950, at the Museum Silkeborg in Denmark.Tim Graham/Getty Images

Cases are divided into three main categories: bog mummies, whose skin, soft tissue and hair are preserved; bog skeletons, with only the bones surviving; and a third group composed of the partial remains of both. “Many finds have been lost in the distant past or are only known through published sources,” Dr. van Beek said. “These ‘paper’ bog bodies are documented with varying degrees of detail and reliability.” Before the 19th century, bodies pulled out of bogs were often given a Christian reburial.

The cadavers owe their state to the natural chemistry of bogs. Layers of sphagnum moss and peat help pickle bodies by saturating the tissue in a cold, immobilizing environment that is highly acidic and almost devoid of oxygen. The decaying mosses release humic acids and sphagnan, a complex sugar, that make life difficult for the microorganisms that would normally cause rotting and decay. Sphagnan also leaches calcium from bones, eventually softening, breaking and warping them.

‘A dark elderberry place’

Bog-mummified people are mainly found in raised bogs — discrete, dome-shaped masses of peat that typically form in lowland landscapes and reach depths of 30 feet or more. (Blanket bogs are generally shallower and spread out widely over wet or upland areas.)

Uncovering the Past, One Discovery at a Time

Appian Way: An archaeological dig that began last summer, searching for the long-elusive “first mile” of the ancient Roman thoroughfare, has been stymied by ground water.

Friends on a Mission: Three hobbyists hunting for Bronze Age rock carvings have transformed Norway’s knowledge about prehistoric art.

Animal Mummies: The discovery of 10 mummified crocodiles in an Egyptian tomb shed light on ancient mummification practices and the many lives of a necropolis.

Meet the Neanderthals: Analyzing fossils from a cave in Russia, scientists have identified the first known family of Neanderthals.

The first recorded body emerged from Schalkholz Fen in Holstein, Germany, in 1640. Since then, the cold-weather swamps of northern Europe have yielded such regional curiosities as Windeby Girl, Haraldskjaer Woman, Lindow Man, Clonycavan Man, Old Croghan Man and Koelbjerg Man. The bones of Koelbjerg Man, recovered in 1941 on the Danish island of Funen, date to 8000 B.C. Seamus Heaney’s melancholy “Bog Poems” include a lament for Grauballe Man, whose throat was slit in the third century B.C.:

The cured wound

opens inwards to a dark

elderberry place.

Of the 57 bog people whose cause of death could be determined in Dr. van Beek’s study, at least 45 met violent ends, and quite a few were bludgeoned or suffered mutilation and dismemberment before they died. Tollund Man, dating to the fifth century B.C. and dredged from a Danish peat bog in 1950, was hanged. Bone arrowheads were found embedded in the skull and sternum of Porsmose Man, recovered from peat elsewhere in Denmark. Seven victims appear to have been slain by several means, a practice that scholars call overkilling. Almost all of the overkills in Dr. van Beek’s study occurred from 400 B.C. to 400 A.D.

The bog of war

While most sites held just a single deceased person, some were used repeatedly, with one Danish bog, Alken Enge, estimated to hold the disarticulated remains of more than 380 ancient warriors killed in a brutal conflict and left in open water. The bones, exclusively male and predominantly adult, date to early in the first century A.D., when Germanic tribes engaged in intratribal warfare. Researchers believe that the dead were cleared from the battlefield and dumped into the bog with their weapons and personal ornaments.

This would have been one of the lesser indignities that befell bog people. Many were hastily extracted or improperly conserved; in the Netherlands of the late 18th century, four bog corpses were even ground into mumia — mummy powder — and sold as remedies.

A fundamental question about these Iron Age victims is why. Were they murdered? Executed? Sacrificed to the gods, perhaps as fertility offerings? Miranda Aldhouse-Green, emeritus professor of archaeology at Cardiff University and author of “Bog Bodies Uncovered,” has argued that ritual sacrifices may have been undertaken at times of crisis in a community: famine, extreme weather, war threats, the perceived need to kill foreign hostages.

Grauballe Man’s throat was slit in the third century B.C. He was discovered in Denmark in 1952.Moesgaard Museum

Grauballe Man on display at the Moesgaard Museum in Aarhaus, Denmark.Christina Gascoigne/Robert Harding, via Alamy

Two features recur among Iron Age bog bodies: youth and disability. Many bodies were those of adolescents, at the cusp between childhood and adulthood. “In some traditional societies, such individuals were perceived to have shamanic powers, enabling them to segue between the material and spirit worlds, just as people at puberty contain elements of childhood and adulthood,” Dr. Aldhouse-Green said in an email.

The Yde girl had severe scoliosis, a twisting of the spine that meant her growth was stunted and she would have walked with a lurch. Dr. Aldhouse-Green has proposed that disabled people may have been perceived to be “touched” by divinity.

“Ceremony was key to keeping communities bound together, and ritual killing would provide spectacle similar to Roman gladiatorial shows,” she said. Recent findings from Denmark and north Germany suggest that the people chosen may sometimes have been of high status and had therefore undertaken long journeys in the months before their deaths.

Disease was the likely culprit in a few instances, and from 1100 A.D. on, there were six possible suicides and four accidental deaths. In 1674, a man and a woman died in a snowstorm on the upland peat bog of Hope Woodland in Derbyshire, England. Far to the north in Shetland, during a cold spell late in the same century, the so-called Gunnister Man is believed to have succumbed to exposure. In 1828, a German traveling salesman and falconer named Johann Spieker died in Lower Saxony, probably by drowning.

“His grave was marked with a wooden cross and a fence that remained visible for a long time,” Dr. van Beek said. “During the excavation, only his cloak, some coins and a prayer book apparently were found.”

Arguing against suicide theories, Dr. Aldouse-Green noted that many ancient bog bodies were naked, some found with clothes placed beside them. “Leather and linen survive in bogs due to the presence of sphagnum moss,” she said. Dr. van Beek countered that “nakedness is a very difficult factor to take into account” and that other fabrics can degrade without a trace even when a body is preserved.

For peat’s sake

The bog site of Aschener Moor in Germany.Roy van Beek

The growth of boglands was stimulated more than 10,000 years ago by the collapse of the Eurasian Ice Sheet and release of freshwater, which abruptly raised sea levels and groundwater tables. Plant decomposition is slowed to such an extent in these areas that dead vegetation accumulates to form peat, effectively storing carbon dioxide. As a result, preserving bog lands is considered a powerful tool to help mitigate climate change.

“Many bogs across Europe are currently protected nature reserves, often with attempts to restore and expand them,” Dr. van Beek said. He added, with chagrin, that in the Irish Midlands, the Baltic States and parts of Germany, peat is still being cut.

“Never before have we needed to care as much about peatlands,” said Dr. Giles, whose book “Bog Bodies: Face to Face With the Past” explores what she calls “the black hole of the peat pool.” “Yet for hundreds of years we’ve told awful tales about these maligned landscapes, encouraging people to steer clear, to drain and damage those precious places.”

Yde Girl and Tollund Man are a reminder that humans once had very different and more respectful relationships with the bog, she said: “Bog bodies — and artifacts and eco-facts — become strange kinds of ambassadors from deep time. They re-enchant us with these landscapes through their stories.”

#News

[lovinireland]

Attention all nature lovers💚

Abbeyleix Bog is situated on the outskirts of Abbeyleix town in Co. Laois and encompasses an area of almost 500 acres of diverse habitats including degraded (but recovering) raised bog, lagg, cutaway, wet carr woodland and meadows.

This enjoyable outdoor trek would suit walkers, photography enthusiasts, nature and wildlife hobbyists and families who love the outdoors. Explore the bogs boardwalks and habitats.

Then enjoy a yummy coffee from the food truck at The Manor hotel,Abbeyleix. They have a fabulous homemade pizza menu on offer too,all for take away.🍕☕

[the-beauty-of-small-things]

#laois #colaois #abbeyleix #bog #boardwalk #ireland #greenireland #irish #irishpassion #eire #visitireland #discover #discoverireland #emeraldisle #dordeduca #travel #travelgram #travelphotography #instatravel #nature #spring #thinkgreen #margeluta #siragurideganduri (at Abbeyleix Bog Walk)

[k00265755]

Movement

An organic world of constant change, Isabelle Tree, Conservationist.

I took a wander around Abbeyleix Bog after getting the title of my next project. My eyes were drawn to the Birch trees that surround the bogland. Spring is just begining and the trees which are always in constant flux have begun to shed their bark for the next stage of growth.

I have found inspiration in the change of our seasons. I want to focus on the flora of the bog and in particular the Birch trees.

This outward sign of growth through the shedding of bark put me in mind of a new begining a new possibility, a chance to start again.  

[shirlleycoyle]

Irish Communities Are Reclaiming One of the World’s Dirtiest Fuels

This is Tipping Point, a new VICE series that covers environmental justice stories about and, where possible, written by people in the communities experiencing the stark reality of our changing planet.

Step onto a well-preserved mossy bog, saturated with rain, and the ground will flex like a big dark mattress under your feet. It’s quicksand made of mud, what the word “quagmire” literally refers to. But drain a bog, dry it out, chop the mud into bricks and you can burn it. In Ireland, turning bogs into fuel has been going on for centuries and has created desperately needed jobs. The smell of peat burning still lifts some people’s hearts. Richer than woodsmoke, it’s dense and earthy. If you’ve ever had peated whiskey, you’ll have experienced a whisper of it.

But peat, or turf, is one of the most polluting fuels in the world. It is more polluting, even, than coal, generating less energy when burned while producing more emissions.

Photographer Tina Claffey spent her summers cutting turf, or peat, with her family. Her dad insisted on it. “Bog” was, to a teenage Claffey, synonymous with “boredom.” Like many Irish families, they stored the peat at home for use as a winter fuel. According to the 2016 census, more than 75,000 households in the Republic of Ireland continue to burn peat this way.

And then Claffey’s opinion of peat changed. Upon returning to Ireland after several years of working as a photographer in Botswana, she went on a nature walk and realized that, far from desolate places full of dirty fuel, bogs were teeming with life.

“It completely blew my mind that there was a wilderness there in the bogs that I never knew about,” she says.

Photographer Tina Claffey found bogs teeming with life. Photos courtesy of Tina Claffey

As she started photographing the flora and fauna of her native peatlands, she found others like her, with a newfound appreciation of the bogs. A movement was afoot to rethink peatlands—not as fuel, but as wildlife havens and secret weapons in the fight against climate change.

It’s a battle to save the last of Ireland’s well-preserved bogs. Just 1 percent of the Republic of Ireland’s raised bogs (swollen tracts of peatland) survives.

“One of the secret weapons in [fighting] climate change was literally beneath our feet”

The countercultural movement started as early as 2000, when Chris Uys and a gaggle of like-minded environmentalists stared down a peat-harvesting machine at Abbeyleix bog in County Laois and forced it to retreat. The machine was operated by Bord na Móna, the state-owned peat harvesting firm.

Some of the people involved in the standoff at Abbeyleix. Photo courtesy of Kevin Hutchinson

“Everybody thought you had two heads when you talked about carbon emissions, carbon stores,” recalls Uys. The Republic of Ireland’s own national peatlands strategy document in 2015 acknowledged that the environmental role of bogs “is not widely appreciated.”

But bogs can mitigate the vast amounts of carbon dioxide human civilization spews into the atmosphere. When the sphagnum moss that grows on bogs dies, it does not break down. Instead, carbon in the organic matter is locked into the dense, wet soil. It’s like a giant carbon sponge spread over the land. A 15-centimetre-deep hectare of peatland contains more carbon, in fact, than a hectare of tropical rainforest. Together, all the world’s bogs store twice as much carbon as all the world’s forests.

Uys and his companions won. After the excavating machine left, talks over what to do with the bog lasted more than a decade. An environmental case against the Republic of Ireland brought by the European Commission eventually led to the campaigners signing a 50-year lease for the site with Bord na Móna in 2012.

Uys now runs the Community Wetlands Forum, a nexus for bog-loving Irish people. From a handful of communities at the outset, Uys says more than 20 are now involved, made up of several hundred people scattered across the republic.

The first thing communities do when they decide a local bog is worth preserving is to try and get other people interested in it. They build boardwalks and nature reserves, to draw visitors and emphasize the peatlands’ ecological importance. After that, Uys says they conduct some sort of environmental assessment—species monitoring, for instance.

Open peatlands account for 7-10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the Republic of Ireland

The ultimate goal of conservation projects is to “re-wet” the land. Bogs used for industrial purposes were drained by cutting channels into them so that groundwater could seep out. That allowed the peat to dry so that it could be removed in brick-like chunks. Some peatlands harvested in this way are now discarded as vast, barren wastelands—deserts of cracking mud.

Carbon-rich black peat left open to the air actually emits vast quantities of carbon dioxide over time.

“When it’s a black peat or bare peat, it’s 4-6 tons of CO2 [per hectare] per year,” says Shane Regan, who works at the Irish National Parks and Wildlife Service. Open peatlands account for 7-10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the Republic of Ireland.

By blocking the drains, however, rainwater that falls on the bogs stays put, re-wetting the system and locking carbon in. Locals are starting to get involved in doing exactly that.

“The people that are blocking the drains are the people who in the past perhaps would have opened [them]; they would have dug these drains 30 years ago,” says Ronan Casey of The Living Bog, a restoration project that is supporting the community-led conservation of 12 peatland areas across seven counties.

It couldn’t be happening at a more urgent time. A study published Monday in Nature Geoscience revealed that 42 percent of 31 peatlands surveyed in Europe are the driest they have been for a millennium.

“For decades we were going around not actually realizing that one of the secret weapons in [fighting] climate change was literally beneath our feet,” adds Casey.

Even Bord na Móna is having to change how it does things. Last year, it announced that it would close 17 bogs that had supplied peat for industrial uses, and phase out burning peat for energy by 2028. But some say this is too little, too late. Bord na Móna still harvests peat and exports it for horticultural use, for example. The company did not respond to a request for comment.

Claffey says attitudes are changing. While some families still proudly cart their turf home for the winter, knowledge of environmental issues is spreading—particularly among young people.

“There’s definitely more of an awareness of our bogs now than there was a few years ago,” she says. “There’s still a lot of work to do, though.”

Chris Baraniuk is a freelance science journalist based in Northern Ireland. Follow him on Twitter.

Have a story for Tipping Point? Email TippingPoint@vice.com

This article originally appeared on VICE CA.

Irish Communities Are Reclaiming One of the World’s Dirtiest Fuels syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

[thelittleowlblog]

National Biodiversity Week 2018 Events

Ireland’s National Biodiversity Week will be happening this year from the 19th – 27th May. This year the country will have the opportunity to get involved with nature and our environment, with over 50 different events throughout the week. As each of these events are completely free, and very family-friendly, it is a great way to celebrate wildlife conservation and biodiversity, with the Irish community.

Hedgehog

Badger – the main hedgehog predator

  You can find the full list of events taking place over the 9 days that celebrate Irish biodiversity, by clicking here, which directs you to the National Biodiversity Week website.

The events include something from each type of environment, such as urban beekeeping to marine whale watching activities, as well as introductory courses on how to take part in citizen science surveys, and sustainable eco-village tours.

Don’t Lose Focus! 

As part of this year’s National Biodiversity Week, there will be a competition running for Biodiversity Photographer of the Year, as well as Young Biodiversity Photographer of the Year, which will be for all children across Irish schools to get involved with.

  The winner of the Biodiversity Photographer of the Year will receive a cash prize of €500, while the runner up in second place will receive €200, with third place winning €100.

For the Young Biodiversity Photographer of the Year, the winner will receive €200, with the runner up in second place winning €100 and third place taking €50.

You can find more information, and even sign up for the competition here.

Where can we sign up? 

You can get the free tickets now on Eventbrite, for any of these events throughout the National Biodiversity Week. If you are interested in attending any of the biodiversity events, click here.

This year’s National Biodiversity Week is kicking off in Abbeyleix Bog on Saturday 19th May. GreenNews.ie have done a great piece on this event, which you can find here. This piece outlines what will be happening during this flagship event, and details the different types of biodiversity that can be found in this bog!

Eventbrite Tickets – Abbeyleix Bog Event: National Biodiversity Week 2018

Ireland’s National Biodiversity Week 2018 

Greennews.ie – Biodiversity Week 2018

National Biodiversity Week 2018 National Biodiversity Week 2018 Events Ireland's National Biodiversity Week will be happening this year from the 19th - 27th May.

[medicalreference-blog]

New Post has been published on Medical Reference. All of the diseases and ailments of the human body. How to recover from various diseases

New Post has been published on http://bit.ly/2y1qNVW

Communities raise bog standards in abbeyleix consumer health information

[mirtapersonal]

Abbeyleix Bog Walk, Ireland

[k00281262]

Wire Leaves (Making Temporary Things Permanent)

Today, I was inspired by some wire sculptures I saw in Studio 3, and decided to try it out myself to immortalise some leaves from Abbeyleix bog. Wire is not a material I work with often, so I was a little apprehensive, but Elaine was very helpful and supportive.

I began with some simple line drawings of my leaves, before starting construction. I found it to be slow, meditative work, and I enjoyed it more than I expected.

One I was finished, I took my sculpture to the Church Gallery to play around with light and shadow. These photos remind me a bit of my group's sculpture for the Radius Project, in that the shadow cast by the object is just as important as the object itself. A shadow is fleeting in and of itself, creating a contrast with the sturdy wire.

[k00281262]

I was back home in Abbeyleix this weekend and took a walk on the bog to ground myself. I never really appreciated the nature I had on my doorstep until I moved away to a city, but this walk was quite cathartic for me. I was inspired by the way the sun shone through the trees-late autumn evenings are my favourite time of year, I think everything just looks so warm and nostalgic.

I took a mirror onto the bog with me to play around with including myself in my photos. We are all a part of the landscapes we occupy.

Some conservation work is being done on the bog right now, and it is jarring to see the contrast between the beautiful landscapes and heavy machinery. It feels invasive, even if I know logically their presence is for good.

I was thinking a lot about how different the bog is from last time I was there in the summer, but also how similar it is at well. The bogholes are now puddles, the green trees are now orange, and yet I'm still home.

[k00281262]

Drawing Seminar

I found the two drawing seminar videos really thought-provoking. It made me think of drawing as fundamental not only to fine art, but to design, animation, and all artistic disciplines. It is the centre of what we do as artists and an important form of communication.

I found the discussion of what makes a drawing "good" very interesting- personally, I have never really been a fan of photorealism for the sake of it, and the seminar helped me understand why that is. A good drawing captures the essence of its subject, and represents a thought, idea, or narrative. This is why drawing from life, as opposed to a photo, is important- it gives us more scope to experiment, and can help us more accurately capture the emotional impact of the subject.

I feel inspired to practice my drawing skills a bit more. I often find myself becoming a bit lazy with drawing, and the attention span required is something I really need to work on. I was inspired by some of the artists shown in part two of the seminar, in particular Dave Lilburn's drawing of a walk he went on, and John Virtue's depiction of his postal route. As I explore my homeplace and Limerick through my temporary project, I wonder if I could take similarly innovative approaches to representing a place by documenting Abbeyleix bog, or my weekly commute?

I liked the point made about the role of humour in art. I think too often I put pressure on myself to make sure all my work is serious and professional- I'm in LSAD now, I have to be a "real" artist. But in truth, some of my favourite artists have a great sense of humour; I was very excited to see both Grayson Perry and David Shrigley included in the seminar! The art world can be stuffy and boring and pretentious, so we must allow ourselves the agency to create our own narratives through drawing with a unique voice.

Lastly, I learned about the role of drawing (and art, in general) in visual culture. Whenever we make something, we are creating a product of our time. Each decision we make, from materials to subject to method, tells a story and makes a point. Our choices should be considered. We are always making a statement- drawing is all about telling truths (and untruths) to the viewer.

[k00265755]

Print

The technique in creating an image in monoprinting has left me in a quandary. I have found that I am drawn to the original Acetate sheet once I have put my mark on it rather than the final print! The looseness in the ink and white spirit on the sheet of Acetate appears more fluid. 

Abbeyleix bog trees.

There is a lush, wet appearance, full of tonal qualities and a depth to it that I am finding I can`t achieve on paper once the print is produced. 

The print appears flat to me, it has lost its richness. 

John Simpson, printmaker produces largescale prints with a painterly style. He states;

 “The biggest development in my work has been a shift towards lettng a picture evolve purely through a combination of processes and layers “ 

This statement resonates with my work. My aim is to produce work that has a looseness about. I am unable to stick within a boundary, I like the freedom of letting my mind wander so that the work evolves rather than working rigidly. To my mind this allows the viewer to decide what their view of my work is. 

Lockdown Forest Drawing II

John Simpson, Earth, Ink, Charcoal and Woodcut on paper. 94cm x 64cm   https://www.john-simpson-art.com/copy-of-available-original-prints-1?lightbox=dataItem-khus7y6s

[k00265755]

Ceramic wall pieces

Stoneware clay approx 30cm x 30cm, wall piece.

These pieces were produced by a flat slab of clay approx 20mm in depth, scored with indentations and thrown flat onto a board a number of times, producing the tears and folds. Elaine told me "the biggest part of the process is to know when to stop throwing the slab".

Dried flat.

This piece was thrown flat onto a board, but once I was happy with the tears and wrinkles I draped it over a cylinder shape to let it dry, so that it conveys a tree trunk shape using the photo below as inspiration.

This photo was taken on the Abbeyleix Bog, the tones of ivory with green on the outer bark in contrast to the golden brown bark beneath. 

Again new growth, movement and evolving. 

[k00265755]

Black paper and chalk

Nick Miller Truck View, Lough Skean, 2007

Nick Miller Truckscapes: drawings of a mobile workshop These black ink drawings are made on thick paper, grooved and then redrawn with a brush and the help of electric tools. His works represent both the landscape surrounding the artist's home in the northwest of Ireland, and the studio where they were made. Anxious to work directly in the presence of his subject, Nick Miller seeks to distill the energy of this encounter. His work is imbued with a unique and intense style and perception, reflecting his desire to observe and paint the world in which he lives from within. Nick Miller is a member of Aosdána; 

The above paragraph is taken from Nick Miller Truckscapes, drawings of a mobile workshop. 

https://www.centreculturelirlandais.com/en-ce-moment/expositions-evenements/nick-miller

Birch trees, Abbeyleix Bog, chalk on black paper. 

Birch trees in midwinter with saplings in the background showing growth and movement.

Birch trees, Abbeyleix Bog.

Using Tacita Dean who has produced landscapes and cloud formations by using chalk on black boards. John Virtue who works only in monochrome and Nick Miller who works mainly in black and white, using acrylic pain, shellac and black ink. I have tried to produce a piece using only chalk on black paper. 

Joseph Mallord William Turner Snow Storm - Steam-Boat off a Harbour’s Mouth exhibited 1842 Tate 

Sea scape inspired by JMW Turner. 

Chalk on black paper. 

JMW Turner was an English Romantic painter best known for his expressive renderings of nature particularly seascapes.