It is now 4 years since finishing my
MA and I have finally started compiling a book, based on the last few
years of weekly and seasonal blog posts. These in turn are based on
the walking practice that I do as an artist and designer: a practice
that creatively connects people to place.
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| Wonderful office space at Farm Work Play, where I am writing. |
In doing this, and feeling slightly
overwhelmed by what seems like a mammoth but necessary task, I will
be writing these blogs less regularly as I concentrate on the first
draft. But luckily, over the years I have gathered together a team of
enthusiastic and supportive individuals to make this happen, so
thankfully now I am feeling much more excitement about the book, than
anxiety and overwhelm.
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| Working through/rereading all the blogs is quite a task. |
I have been out and about as much as
possible over the last couple of weeks, trying to experience the turn
of Summer into Autumn as much as possible, as I love this time of
transition and transformation.
During
my first visit to Great Dixter in East Sussex, a place that I had
been wanting to go to for years, I walked around the garden in awe of
the design, layout and planting. Paths led us through ornamental,
tropical, wild and topiary gardens full of early autumn
colour and beauty.
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| Dahlias and bees... |
Dahlias, some as large as a plate were regularly
being visited by huge buzzing Bumble bees, Robins sang loudly for
their territory and the gardeners quietly clipped the many yew
hedges.
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| Flowers and foliage edging the path. |
A
week later a friend and I celebrated the last harvest of Summer as we
visited a flower cutting garden called Blooming Green in Kent and enjoyed an hour or so of
idle wandering around the garden, each picking a huge armful of
flowers including more wonderful dahlias.
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| Bumble bee and Dahlia, again! |
These have sat in a few
large vases on the kitchen table over the last week or two giving
essential colour to some very grey weather. So
it has been with anticipation,
as the days started drawing in earlier, the central heating kicked in
and the first fire was excitedly lit, we hunkered in cosy and snug
and awaited the arrival of Winter.
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| Blooming Green cutting garden in Linton, Kent. |
Next
weekend, on Saturday the 25th
of November I will be showing artwork, alongside Canterbury artist
Alison Lees. This exhibition in Adisham in her strawbale barn studio
will be the culmination of two years work studying 'The Spirit of
Place', an art project based in Kent.
If
anyone would like to visit, all are welcome. It would be great to
meet you, I understand that it is getting busier and busier the
nearer we get to Xmas, but if you'd like to experience a calm, yet
twinkly Midwinter Open Studio event, see demonstrations of
Gelli-plate
and wood cut printing, then this may be the ideal chill out zone!
You can find us at 1 Flybridge
Cottages, CT3 3LT. We are open 11-5, there is plenty of parking and
there will be light refreshments too for anyone who ventures out to
see our work.
You
can keep up to date with our past explorations and discoveries by
looking at www.facebook.com/EastKentSpiritOfPlace
look!
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| Offshore windmills in the distance. |
