The Shelter Posts

Wildart Drawing Day inspired the designs for these posts, and work was started on the posts during the event. Drawings and designs were also worked out on paper and were then used in the final paintings.  

All of the designs are based on the woodland and dozens of people contributed their ideas.

The shelter posts

 The Shelter Posts are painted with pigments made from the soil and clays found in Thornden Woods. This has given them a very particular colour scheme which works very well.


posts in progress



bracken at the bottom

 I have included a slide show called a ''return to painting' as it is great to be using paints in such a relevant way. That is making your own paint with what's on the site. Great for highlighting the resources of a particular place.

Wildart Drawing Day 22nd Aug



I made these pigments from the soil



earth (ochre)





earth (umber)





white (chalk)



So I will leave the others to find out if they work or not? I'm off up to London for the day. I will catch up later and find out what happened?

The Princes Trust.

Recently I met Kent Wildlife Staff on the Wildart Trail and met several Princes Trust work placement people busy with tools. This was part of a two week placement and I found them tending to the willow archway planted a few months ago.



Cosmo in on the action.



The archway is looking very healthy indeed.

 Other news is that the Wildart Trail was a shortlisted finalist in two catagories: The Community Award and the Cultural Landscape Award. These awards are made possible by Canterbury Council and I went along to a posh dinner with John and Kathryn from KWT. We had a nice evening but sadly the specially commissioned winners glass trophy eleuded us. Congratulations to the Marlow Theatre (Cultural Landscape) and the Siege of Canterbury Commemoration Committee (Community) who took the trophys home.



Front: Kathryns fruit salad

Middle: John in a suit

Rear: the Lady from the Siege of Canterbury Commemoration Committee  

   

The Wildart Trail

Working with Living Willow

A couple of weeks ago during the UCA residency Kent Wildlife Trust organised a working with live willow workshop. This was to create living willow archway approximatley half way round the trail.


The day was very well attended with several groups working on other sculptures as well.



So...yeh...no...thats got to go...thats on ...yeh ..there




under-over-under- under-no-no over.



its coming together now - looking good

this will grow into a little house.

reminds me of 'how many people can you fit in a
telephone box or a mini? I think we can get at
least a couple more in there!

the finished arch



finished arch with the Radfall behind

  I hope it rains soon as the willow needs it now to establish properly, we had the same problem last year with no rain. We cut down the one made the previous year and you can just see it about knee height to the left of the new one.

Wildart Drawing Day

To see the UCA WildArt Space Residency

developing  on their blog....... click here

Here are some photos from the Wildart Drawing Day



ooh......... they look good



bark rubbings

even  'Dexter the Doodle' was involved



water colours always good for woodland scenes

 

it turns out sticks are better than brushes
when it comes to painting trees

it was a busy day and very enjoyable



and..........I had to use those nice chalks!



UCA Art Students in Residence at Blean Wildart Trail

Proposal for the second year Ateliers Unit:

BA (Hons) Degree UCA

We intend to make site specific sculptures and land art installations using natural materials found in the woodland.

We will reflect the natural history and local culture of the Blean Woods.

We will engage with the local community encouraging participation in Wildart Events and Happenings in the environment of the woods, challenging traditional relationships and aesthetics.

As man and nature intervene, new work will evolve, others disappear.

The perfect work of art will be irrelevant given the variables; any assemblages will become empheral happenings, and happenings tempural.

Look forward to seeing you in the woods

Louisa Love

Janet Wells-Cutler 

                                          Penny Murchison

Happy Xmas



Someone dressed the 'Drover' especially for Xmas, and his pigs!
(willow sculpture by Alan Sage) 



The Best Bits



Raptor: a symbol for the Wildart Trail and the wider Blean Project 


So the Wildart Trail has officially opened now and vitually everything is installed.
So this post is a small selection of photos showing the finished works.



 detail from the woodland workshop

unusuall to see th konic ponies here

is this guy whistling as he takes his pigs to market
walking along the Radfall on his way to Canterbury



Bugton Underwood; where the insects live

  

counting tree rings



Heron



A Totem Post (pupils at Herne Junior School)

woodpecker



lady of the Woods



these are now known as the 'stump routings'



The Arch



the Sparrow Hawk and Konic Pony Totem Pole



A day alongside KWT Volunteers

I spent the whole day working alongside the KWT Volunteers, I had my agenda and they had theirs. They were clearing areas of trees along the path improving the habitat by breaking the path corridor effect, which can act as a wind tunnel not so good for insect type wildlife.

 

fire: always an event even if just burning waste



I was stripping leaves from branches and was glad of passing converstion. Interesting hearing about peoples different backgrounds and walks of life. This band of helpers rotate around various KWT sites during the week. Focus on the Bidbury site one guy was telling me. Another lived in London (all be it on the wrong side of the river) but plenty in common to talk about. Others had foriegn holidays, amusing dog stories and I enjoyed my day with them. They made me tea, and shared chocolate cakes and this is welcome as the work is fairly physical.

 




















In the afternoon one volunteer was kind enough to find time to help me and Kathryn fill one of the insect homes with sticks and twigs etc which helped a move things along for the opening event on Sunday.

These log cabins take quite alot of material and we spent the whole afternoon sawing wood to the correct length. One passer buy suggested we set up a xmas nativity scene in there, which would work. It might mean changing the accepted characters and replace them with wild life ones.

There's no room in the car park, 3 owls for the wise men, bringing acorns, chestnuts and wild mushrooms who were guided by the red lights on wind turbines on the horizon. We got ponies and highland cattle to watch, we might have a woodpecker as Joseph the carpenter. But I'm struggling to find replacements for Jesus and Mary?

A Map of the Wildart Trail in Thornden Woods




The Wildart Trail

  Here is the final version of the map which will mark the entrance of the trail. It lists all the features that can be seen along the trail.....er.erhm one or two are till in the construction phase. Looking forward to the Opening Day where the trail is officially opened to to public on Sunday 16th Oct. It has been open to the public all the way through construction really, but the chance for everybody to meet everybody and see whats happening in the woodland workshop.

the finished map at the start of the trail