Riverside totem

I enjoy coming across a woodland totem, there's something about folk creating these archaic features that resonates, something timeless; highlighting maybe our subconscious connection, or our desire for connection, to a bygone age and the magic and ritual of connecting with that ancient landscape. I'm not adverse to setting one up myself, for me it's definitely partly the pursuit of connection to a shrouded past, the world of ancestors and a wilder wood.

Subway graffiti

 

A new graffiti piece in the Picket Post subway.

 

Busy Graffiti

A new piece of graffiti in the underpass at Picket Post, well, new to me anyway, we've not been this way in a while. I like it, it's very busy. I like the palette, and it's flourishes. Very nice.

Bird stone

Tucked away in a fissure of a fallen moss covered trunk this bird stone means something to someone. I always enjoy discovering hidden treasures, there's something magical in it.

Broad Bench pebble art

 

Covering a fair portion of Broad Bench someone has put a lot of time and effort in to this work, the piece extends way beyond my framing. Just collecting the appropriate shale pebbles must have taken an age. Nice result though. I doff my cap.

14 pebbles reborn

Back in July of 2023 I came across a small circle of rounded pebbles that someone had created on the hollowed out stump of ancient tree; often disturbed I'd frequently tidy or reconstitute the circle, adding pebbles when some had gone missing. At the beginning of the year I discovered all the pebbles gone, and vowed to restore the circle. In the meantime someone else who must've also been attracted to the woodland feature created a rough circle of sub angular stones as a replacement.  This morning I formed a new circle of rounded pebbles of different types I'd gathered from Mupe Bay.  I hope the others approve. 

14 pebbles

 

14 pebbles, the saga continues. Someone, maybe the original creator, has reconstituted a circle in rough stones (bar a single pebble) on the ancient hollow trunk. Whoever it was stole a march on me. 

14 pebbles no more

 

For over a year and a half a circle of pebbles ebbed and flowed on a great hollow fallen trunk in Burley Old. Maker unknown, it was tended to by many, including me. This morning all the pebbles were gone. Not a trace, man. Even the spare pebbles I'd collected in a hollow amongst the buttress were gone. Very deliberate. People, eh.

Dirty face

Love it. 

14 Pebbles #4

We passed through Burley Old this morning following one of our regular routes, past the hollowed stump of the ancient tree whereupon the 14 pebbles were found expanded to 20. The circle had transformed again. Several of the pebbles I'd collected in Purbeck have gone, as had the tiny white stone, and new ones had been added.  I enjoy that the circle is changed by passers by, that's how I found it,  and wondered if the creator of the original pebble setting has had a hand in any of the subsequent transformations.

14 pebbles #3

During a recent walk we passed the huge hollowed stump, site of the 14 (later 15) pebbles only to find that most of the stones had been scattered, it appeared deliberately too. I'm used to finding the stones disturbed or displaced presumably by fauna and the elements, and usually have little trouble collecting and restoring the pebbles to a circle; on this occasion though beyond 4 there was no trace of the stones. So when we were over Purbeck I collected some more, and renewed the circle; the tiny stone in the centre being from the original circle. And just in case a passer by felt creative I left a handful of other pebbles in a hollow. I hope the original creator would approve. 

Path art

 

Created from a mixture of leaves and small stones, I imagine this piece of ephemeral art was a beautifully imagined green flower. Situated in the center of an main forestry track it was never going to last that long.

14 Pebbles #2

Back at the beginning of July I came across a rough circle of 14 small sub rounded pebbles placed with purpose on the hollow trunk of a tree which came down in a storm decades ago in Burley Old. I pass the trunk on one of our regular routes and have taken to tending to its' up keep; often the pebbles are disturbed and/or covered in detritus, and I set them in a circle again, detritus free. Strangely since July one of the circle pebbles mysteriously disappeared, whilst a tiny white pebble mysteriously appeared, so there remains 14 pebbles, though they're not the original 14. 

14 pebbles

 

14 pebbles placed on the hollowed stump of an ancient tree. A good choice of spot. So what's this about then? I think the pebbles must have been brought out to the forest intentionally, that there's motive behind the circle beyond simply spontaneous art for art sake. Yes you could pick up pebbles in the forest, though the majority are dirty sub angular or angular, and those from the streams are frequently stained; no, these look more like selected coastal pebbles of roughly similar size, they're very clean too. Of course I reserve the right to be wrong, though I don't think I am. Burley Old again, there's something about these stands, something magical that compels people to be creative, to leave their mark; art, shelters and graffiti amongst other works great and small. The stands here do have something compelling about them; the magic of old woods maybe.

Graffiti on the hill

The local graffiti artists have been busy again; I discovered some fantastic new works of art around the water tank up on St Catherine's Hill. The water tanks, especially the circular one, have become galleries displaying the latest works of spray-can excellence; this 'crew', I'm assuming they're an established collective of artists, are using some interesting techniques and use colours, creating some nice effects. I say more of this type of thing. 

Art for art's sake pt2

 

As promised part 2 of the wonderful new pieces of graffiti on the circular water reservoir atop St Catherine's Hill. The light was right this morning to capture the remaining pieces of art, and I think you'll agree, these are some fantastic works here. You know, I was talking to another dog walker, waxing lyrically about how cool it is to see colourful graffiti, how it brightens what are dull industrial buildings and should be encouraged, and celebrated, she said there'd been complaints about it! What? Why? What's wrong with folk?

Art for art's sake pt1

 

Some wonderful new pieces of graffiti on the circular water reservoir atop St Catherine's Hill. I could only capture some of the works this morning due to the bright sunlight on half the reservoir, so this is part one, with part two to follow at a later date. I'm in awe of these artists, the medium, the canvas, the environment, all difficult, and create such pieces...I doff my cap.

Graffiti

I love a bit of stumbled upon art, and I love a bit of graffiti too, this morning I was able to combine the two. We stumbled upon a long piece of graffiti featuring stylised birds and flowing shapes in the underpass between Spaniards Hole and Whitley Wood. My first response was 'nice', my second was how much it reminded me of Barclay James Harvest's 1971 'Once Again' album cover. It's the lines and form, as well as to a lesser degree the colours used. It's a nice piece which brings life to the underpasses lifeless drab concrete, and there's the rub, for me.  There was clearly more graffiti by the same artist on the opposite wall which had been daubed over in white by the art police, it was still visible through the wash...and I thought, why do they bother? If it's not obscene or offensive, why not leave it, it brightens a dull concrete feature, and it enhances your walking experience...surely no one can be offended or angered by that.  More now than ever, the world needs art.  

What a hoot.

Someone has carved this wonderful Owl on a stump alongside one of the paths in bungalow land. The photo doesn't really give an accurate impression of scale, it's a mature trees stump and the whole thing stands about 2m high. It's so cool that people take the time and make the effort to produce street art, particularly when it's done out of the way, where the surprise of finding art packs an even bigger punch. More surprise art, I say. Fantastic!

Art for arts sake; Winter Solstice Card pt 2

I know it doesn't look that different from the previous sketch, but I've inked the all the outlines for this years winter solstice card and I'm quite pleased. I've kept with a familiar theme that I've used in previous years, although obviously a new interpretation, that being the new Sun born from the horns of the Moon. Now to begin the shading and filling in.