The Bull at the Gate

The other day I was at South Hill Park. I noticed the sculpture at the front entrance.

I love this bull who has driven his horns through the brick wall and is caught.

This photo and the next two are from 2016

In 2016, I took part in an art event. My intervention was hanging red flags along the spine...Red Flag to a Bull. The Bull

The Bull at the Gate was made by the sculptor, Marcel Baettig.

As I came out of the entrance, the shape of the ivy caught my eye.

It is well on its way to growing into the shape of a bull, How fun!

I like Thankful Thursday

A few of the things I like this week.

When the boiler broke, the Thoughtful Man moved the garden bench from the front of the house, to give more room to go back and forth.

Now it is in the back garden. I really like the look of it there and seeing it when I look out the dining room window.

I like this bench a lot. It  used to be at my mother-in-law's house...having belonged to her husband (who I never met). I have no idea how they managed it, but somehow it was packed into the car with other things when Mum went into a nursing home. A nice reminder for my husband of his dad.

Not sure if it will stay, because there is a Buddleia to the left as you look at it. and a Black elderberry bush (a bit like this) in the corner behind.

I like these marks. photos from the autumn.

Buggy wheels and footprints in front of South Hill park entrance.

with the stone semi-circles, as well.

Actually, another like...that last photo is evidence of my photo programme. I use it all the time. Very cool to be able to put both photos together. I know I don't use half the features and the ways I do use some of them are  probably not the easiest or best way. But Paint Shop Pro generally does enough to suit my needs.

I like Thankful Thursday

Today is Thanksgiving in America.
My family there are enjoying each other in the various places where they live. Many Blessings!

I was invited to take part in an online group posting something they like on Thursday. I have been posting the cows for Something on Saturday. Not long now and it will be up to a year.

So, I decided to start looking again - with the camera - like I used to do on Inspiration Monday in the early days of the blog and later on Something on Saturday.

I had to go over to South Hill Park to deliver something to a colleague. As I was looking for Thankful Things, I decided to look there.
Italian gardens

You may recall when I took part in Engage! with Art. That was at South Hill Park.
my favourite: Bull at the Gate.

I have lived in this area for 30 years. South Hill Park is a big feature. For a long time, I didn't go inside much. It is only about a 15 minute walk, but I didn't feel very welcome there. So, I mainly walked around the lake and grounds.


But in the last several years, things have changed. It is lovely to meet someone for a cuppa in the cafe or wander round to see what exhibitions are up.
  'puddle wonderful'by Jan Barstow

Loved this print hanging near the cafe.

There are always things to see that you never noticed before.

This week I found these stairs. Another day I will see where they go! There are many stairs to unusual places around the mansion.

And now I know a bit about clay.

I took a one day taster on precious metal clay some years back.
One day I want to take a bookmaking course there.

So, I am thankful for South Hill Park.

Something on Saturday

Some of the other bits of art at SHP last weekend. (Okay it has been a recovery week! Amongst the other people things that were part of the week.)

Sorry, I have missed taking photos of a few of the artist's work.
If you go to the Engage! website, you can find out more about the artists and the work. There is a link to download the brochure on the What's On page.

Outdoors

Louise Anderson The Butterfly Arch

Anji Archer Little Chapters

Jane Bonney The Importance of Being

Sarah Britten-Jones Takin' The Lead

Diana Burch Roots

Jane Glennie Loose Parts
Saturday morning
Sunday afternoon

and 8th Day

Dolly Kershaw Camera Obscura + Wind

Mark Langley An Act of Folly

Charlotte McClelland The End of the Rainbow?

Miya Wassing Light

Alessandra Rutili Spinning our Yarn

Pippa Ward Hanging Around


Indoors

Louise Anderson Ministry of Works - Butterfly Type Plan

William Lindley SHP Reimagined

Lam Ly The House is In

David MacDiarmid Ghost Versions (I-IV)

Pene Murgatroyd Piano Keys

Lucy Ryan Garden Supper

Delia Salter Ground

Something on Saturday - Engage!

... what I am doing this weekend
This was my proposal for the Engage! with Art at South Hill Park event.

On Friday I stood for about 4 hours stitching thin nylon rope through holes in fabric cut from water proof jackets. But it got done!

even a little cape for the frog

And on the other side of the brick wall...

 

And today we even survived a downpour!

Back again tomorrow for more of the memory balls and talking to loads of people I haven't seen in ages.

Linking to Off the Wall Friday at Nina Marie's

Preparation

So, I have been catching up with Sewing Bee shows and hand stitching the lace motifs down on 'Golden Grace'.

I have been filling out proposals for workshops at events this autumn and next spring.

And cutting out red flags for next weekend for the Bull sculpture at Engage! with Art at SHP. You can find out more about the event here.

I used an old waterproof jacket to cut the flags. They still need holes to string them up.

I have another which I am considering for another part for which I need a big piece. But I need to think whether to lose the reflective strips or not. I may need to cut and seam...not sure.

Also included on the website are links to the schedule of workshops and events happening.
I am doing a workshop each day. "Keeping Memories" - borrowing(with permission) Margaret Cooter's memory ball idea.

So, I have been starting off the memory balls. We are meant to have up to 10 in a workshop, so there are at least 10 to get a start. (I have extra of some of the smaller skeins.) Whether they want to do this 1 1/2 hours is another question! But I would like more than 10 people each day to take part, so we will see how it goes.

And I will use scraps left from the red flags for people to write their memories.

Still need to cut them in writing size bits, but the above is a practice at what pen would write on the fabric.

So, keeping too busy to sort photos!

Engage! with Art at South Hill Park

I have had the privilege this year to be involved in setting up an event at the beginning of July for Art at South Hill Park. This is our local arts centre, the grounds of which we dog walk or wander looking for inspiration...

...like the mistletoe in this tree.

Or these ducks. (Actually, a group of us from church did a ramble around the North Lake on Sunday afternoon.)

The event coming up is called Engage! with Art at South Hill Park.
It will be a contemporary visual art event with unusual art works and site specific installations.

Enlarge the images to see the brochure.

At the moment, the work is all in the proposal stage, so the publicity shows images of similar installations by artists in other places or photo manipulated images to give the idea. I am excited to say that my image, worked on with the PaintShopPro programme is on the brochure!

Oh! and did you notice? We applied for a grant from Arts Council England and were given it! So, wow! the participating artists will be paid!

I have always thought the bull sculpture at the front of the building was very humorous. Perhaps being raised on a farm?

So, you can see what I am proposing if you look at the second page. I will wait til it is nearer to July to tell you more about it.

However, in the course of researching the Bull at the Gate sculpture, I have had the privilege to converse with the sculptor, Marcel Baettig. He made the piece during his artist in residency in the mid-90's. So, he asked if I had any photos. Of course! I think it is so cool! So, I sent him photos. Hopefully, he will come along to the event and see how things have changed at SHP. Marcel is now the Chief Executive Officer at Bow Arts, Bow, East London.

I am also going to be doing a 'workshop' interactive activity with visitors. So, if you are in the area on the first weekend in July, do come along and say hello! As I say, more to follow nearer the time.

More student work at SHP

I showed a lion's head made by Sarah Ellinor yesterday. Today I will start with a bear's head.

I also mentioned I was going to show you some gargoyle like figures. Well, on a little ramble round the neighbourhood today, I saw a few gargoyles over the door of someone's house.

Very fun!

And then here are the figures I saw at South Hill Park by Nathan Partridge.

A few angles for you to appreciate.

I think I would be tempted to do ceramics if I could do fantasy creatures!