Humans have been stacking stones for an awfully long time. England’s Stonehenge was thought to be used as a burial site, and created as early as 2500BC. Inuksuks, made by the inhabitants of the Arctic region, were used as markers for travel routes and hunting grounds. Cairns have been found in Scandinavia as trail and sea marks, and in Somalia, to indicate tombs of former kings. Modern cairns are commonly used to indicate hiking trails, biking trails, or areas of possible danger. And some very patient people have even transformed rock balancing into performance art. These man-made stacks of stones and delicately balanced sculptures are truly fascinating things of beauty.
Category Archives: Art and Nature
Suranimals
It’s spring, and little creatures are just about everywhere you look, hiding under piles of leaves, and resting under rocks and trees. Insects alone outnumber us, with an estimated 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 (10 quintillion) of them worldwide, making them the most successful life form on the planet. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than by coming up with a few imaginary ones of our own, inspired by the work of artist Jerome Couëlle .
Couëlle is a french born artist, who lives in both Toronto and Vermont. He uses the word suranimals to describe the wonderfully imaginative creatures that inhabit his surreal paintings. You’ll find fish strolling about on legs, smiling holstein cats, and multi-coloured insects with hats. I invite you to discover his magical world, which will surely inspire you to create some whimsical creatures of your own.
“My paintings are dedicated to the animals whom I call ‘suranimals’ for they are all knowing, to the children, to the artists, to the poets, the writers, the musicians who refuse to be chained to what used to be, and do not accept the world as their reason has taught them, but have freed their eyes to be the true window to peer into infinity.” Jerome Couëlle
Filed under Art and Nature, Artists, Jerome Couëlle, painting
Autumn Leaves
I’ve filled a good 30 bags of leaves, and have chosen to ignore the remaining stragglers until spring. And by stragglers, I mean another 10 to 15 bags worth. My body aches, and while I thought I was in shape, apparently I’m not when it comes to raking. So I’m turning my attention to other autumn options, and found that a few pressed leaves and a little gold paint can look magical.
Filed under Art and Nature, leaves, painting
Hunting and Gathering
Take some time over the summer to collect things in nature that may come in handy for future arts and crafts projects. Any kind of odds and ends you find in your garden, at a park, a cottage, or along the beach, will provide great material to work with. Consider things like twigs and small branches, flower petals you can press in books, seed pods, a small container filled with sand, even leaves and moss. The items you find can be hung up to dry or stored in a box until needed. Happy hunting.
Filed under Art and Nature, Misc
Wind Chimes
Who Has Seen The Wind?
By Christina Rossetti
Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you.
But when the leaves hang trembling,
The wind is passing through.
Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I.
But when the trees bow down their heads,
The wind is passing by.
Filed under Art and Nature, wind chime
Rock Painting
Rock painting is a wonderful way to get really creative. Your designs can be used as paper weights, door stops, colourful additions to your garden, or simply displayed and admired on a bookshelf.
Filed under Art and Nature, painting, rock painting