What
is it with sunsets? I do love the magical transitory times of a day,
the times when the light changes, and as I am not a regular early
riser, I especially love the transition between day and night. Dusk
is a wonderful slowing down time, especially in the Summer when the
spectacular sunsets can be enjoyed by the whole family on the beach.
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| Tankerton sunset. |
The reflection of the setting sun in the sea is a natural gift if we
choose to observe it and even more special is the feeling of swimming
in the sea, eyes closed, heading towards the warmth of the setting
sun. A treasured memory indeed in the depths of any cold, grey
winter!
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| The path up to the sky. |
A
few weeks ago we had a log burner installed in the living room of our
home and I surprise myself by now looking forward to the darker
evenings and the increasing chill of the next season. We needed to
make a hearth to put the burner on so we laid some concrete and I
have been busy playing with the surface. I collected some beautiful
leaves from the garden and used them to imprint their delicate
undersides and overall form into the damp concrete. The result is a
very personalised hearth that hold precious memories now of an
abundant summer. The leaves I chose were Honesty, Passion fruit,
Grape and Hop. Not only are their leaf forms very beautiful but they
are also imbued with another layer of symbolism that could be the
start of an interesting tale or two on a long dark winters evening.
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| Laying the leaves in wet concrete. |
I
enjoy observing the way that the light changes due to the season or
the time of day. Recently whilst walking along the coast the sun was
very low, about to set but had seemed to shoot out its last rays
along the surface of the water towards the shore and it lit up the
yellow Horned Poppy in a way I hadn't anticipated. It glowed! Luckily
I had remembered to take my mobile phone with me and the camera on
that is great for recording such sights. It's not the best, I also
have a small digital Olympus and a larger digital SLR Cannon, but the
mobile always allows me to capture any moment, to record it so that I
can revisit that feeling of discovery and joy another time. It helps
with my artwork too, I can revisit that time and place and refresh my
memory if I am struggling to obtain the variation of colours needed
in a piece.
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Sunset glow.
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This
week I have been collating all my past blog posts so I could pass
them onto a friend who will help me edit my book. It's been a long
time coming but I am keen now get it out there. Re-reading the blog
posts has been very interesting, seeing how each season often
inspires walks, reflections and illumination. Themes seem to come up
year after year and it is encouraging to know how much in tune we are
with nature if we are able to get out regularly and walk amongst it.
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| Yellow beauty. |
I
came across a really nice article via a Facebook group that I follow
called Treesisters, there is a link to it here. The
article looks at 3 ways to connect to nature, one is to create a
'sit-spot' where you go regularly and observe the natural world
around you and another is to go on a walking quest, a practice where
you walk alone for 2-6 hours.
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| Walking with others is a joy too. |
Personally I find even a daily 15
minute walk can bring great awards such as peace of mind if you allow
yourself to be immersed in the very act of walking. This can be
achieved both in a busy city and in the countryside. It is the act of
giving yourself permission to just be, to walk and to observe without
judgement. Perhaps this is why sunset walks are so attractive and
satisfying. I for one, cannot help but be affected by the phenomenon
of a setting sun. It quite simply 'fills you up' and when the
experience is shared with loved ones it is truly wonderful.
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| A well worn path towards the sunset. |
I will be opening the doors of my
beautiful straw bale studio once again this year to exhibit my own
and Alison Lees work as part of the Canterbury Festival, the theme is
still 'The Spirit of Place' as it is an ongoing art project based in
Kent.
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| Sunset and bubbles, could it get any better?! |
Open
times are 11-5 daily on the weekends from 14-29th
of October. We can be found at house number 25 on the Whitstable
trail. Please see the webpage www.ekoh.org.uk
for more information.
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