Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Et voilà!


Now stained with aubergine color, it is completed. This one and the next few image are taken during the day.


The effect appears polished and more defined, but you are welcome to comment


The stain brings out the texture of the wood

And now with spot-lights
I am pleased with the effect both day and night



Sunday, September 26, 2010

Museu Regional do Vinho

This regional museum is an important resource here archiving the specific ways wine makers of this region developed their craft over hundreds of years

The ease of ripening in the hot sun makes the Alentejo prime red wine country. Trincadeira (rasberry, fruity,spicy) is the main red grape of the region and then it's Aragonez (plum, strawberry, blackberry). The third most important is the herby late ripening Castelao. A star here is also the Alicante Bouschet which is one of the world's few red-fleshed grapes.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Final decisions

And so, I decided to stain it as mentioned in my previous post the color aubergine. I first documented this piece prior to doing it in case the outcome was not as intended. Luis accompanied me to Estremoz as my interpretor and guide to the proper stores. The house paint store had a few selections of stains on hand so I decided on a color I could combine with a tube of oil paint purchased at the small art supply shop.


Almost done my work here



 So after adding stems and roots and sawing off others I settled on this as a structure. I am now debating whether or not I want to stain it. 



I have been pondering the colors of the flower of the Esteva plant. It is white with aubergine color spots on the inner part of its petals. I am mulling over a stain the color of aubergine.

The Ancient Ones

Today we went out to Redondo, a small village nearby within the Alentejo district. Luis knew of an Anta located off the main roads he wanted to show us. Antas are burial structures that are part of the Megalithic tradition in Europe. These particular structures found in many places in the Alentejo area date back to around 6000 years ago or more.

The entry to the Anta always faces east. 

Once the dead was placed inside along with possessions the Anta was buried under rubble forming a mound in a meadow or in a forested area. Vegetation would cover it over time in some places while erosion cleared away the rubble and vegetation in others exposing the burial structure such as this one.
Although these ancestors would have been hunters and gatherers they were obviously settled and able to spare the resources necessary to build these structures and cover them in rubble as per the custom. As I touch these stones I know they were also touched by many others each with their stories of sorrows and regeneration going back so long long ago.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Playing with the shadows

The next evening equipped with a couple of spots, I experimented with casting shadows of the piece on the studio wall. How much of the shadow would be integrated in the piece? How does it change my relationship to the hanging structure? Fun discoveries.

The bare bones

The morning was spent carefully selecting the skeleton of the installation. Decisions on the placement in the space were to be made, the height and rhythm of the forms and then finally the suspending of the bare bones.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Up and at 'em

We laid out the Esteva stems and roots on the terrace behind my studio. I was up early the next day eager to get started with this material.

Gathering the goods

I've decided to steer away from the representation of roots and actually make a piece with roots, hence moving from 2D to 3D. I also wanted to work with larger Esteva roots than the ones I'd been experimenting with. I talked about it with Ludger, a wonderful support to artist here with a wealth of knowledge, who suggested we check-out the pig farm down the road for larger Esteva roots and stems. We left in the evening with two wheel barrows and handsome extra muscles called Luis. Georgia Clark, a writer here from New York came along as well.

We were greeted by the pigs
We found lots of large Esteva here. Apparently the pigs dig them out at times as well as being pulled out as a weed by the farmers. We soon had two full wheel barrows. 


Taking stock

Yesterday was a day for taking stock. I was very moody and getting that grumpy feeling when internal chaos takes over just prior to things settling before a breakthrough. I've experienced this many times before yet it remains uncomfortable. I talked awhile with Pat about how I was feeling which was helpful. I sometimes hold on to an initial idea about something I set out to do. I was holding on to my initial project idea for this residency for all kinds of reasons, but am now at a point where I must let it go completely and trust my creative process. I have been exploring the land here and taking note of what stirs me and making curious connections between things. I have been like a sponge since arriving and needed to let things settle awhile. I decided to set my chair in front of a fence to ponder things.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Experiments with the little dragon

I started playing more with the shadows of the Esteva. I laid paper down on the floor next to a strong spot- light shining on the paper. I held a root in my left hand and a paint brush dipped in ink in my right. As I placed the root in front of the spot at various angles I painted the shadow it would cast on the paper. I had previously crinkled the paper so the vein-like texture appeared when I rubbed the background with charcoal.

The sad little dragon

This is an Esteva root or stem as mentioned in my previous entry. The gnarly parts of this plant evoke the likeness of an assortment of odd creatures and many folks in this part of the world have used them as shadow puppets. This one reminds me of a sad dragon.
I drew it from this angle to get a better view of the eyes.
I started collecting more of these roots and stems during my morning walks to the old mill bridge. 
They're really pretty amazing!

Scent of this place

There is yet another very fascinating plant here called Esteva or Cistus ladanifer in latin. It grows from 1 to 2.5 meters in height and width and it is covered in a very aromatic resin. The smell of it is calming, clean and kinda sexy. It grows everywhere here and it has an incredibly gnarly stem and root system. We often find the roots pulled out from the earth exposed and dried by the dusty dirt roads. Most farmers consider this weed to be a bit of a nuisance and try to get rid of it. This plant is apparently used by the perfume industry for an ingredient that is a stabilizer allowing the scent of perfumes to last longer. I love smelling this plant during my walks.   

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Points of return

I often go back to visit these particular thistles that grows here. I did a drawing of this broken piece. The spikes on the tops (the tops are the size of an orange) as well as on the stem are very menacing...alive barbed wire. I ponder defenses, protection and armor and the need of this plant to fend off something.

I went on a walk this morning with Pat Loucks a textile artist here at the residency. We hiked up near the remains of an old mill next to a bridge. I have been finding this old bridge astonishingly beautiful with its worn stone and wanted to see it again. There are all kinds of lichen that grow on the stone and there might be some iron too that gives it this orange color. I like going to visit the bridge in the morning before it gets too hot. The pillars look like ready made large scale abstract paintings.