A Walk in the Park

The Yorkshire Sculpture Park to be precise. I walked further than I expected, but it wasn’t a problem, the day was bright and crisp.

I was bewitched by an ‘intervention’ by David Nash.

Seventy One Steps

Made from oak that is charred and oiled they follow the lie of the land. The steps are set into 30 tons of coal, they will weather and erode into the landscape.  Climbing them, they felt were quite magical. They are no ordinary steps.

I thought the woods at the top of the steps were rather magical too.

I loved the gnarled roots. I’m sure I heard somewhere that 90% of a trees roots are in the top two feet of the soil?

Duncan obviously like it here, once upon a time.

The Further Adventures of Spud the Dog 17th February 2013

This week we’ve had snow and gales, sunshine, fog and everything in between.

Spring however is just starting to peek out from behind its lace curtain. Look here is a kitten-cat, some snowdrops and dappled sunshine.

This week is half term, and I’m very much hoping to extract this blog from its winter stupor. A visit to The Yorkshire sculpture park is on my radar. But it looks like we’ve missed the Mark Hearld exhibition, which is annoying.

But, where is Spud the dog? That is all you want to know.

Nijinski

Especially for mj, Barry Flanagan’s wonderful hares; striding out across the canal pond

Leaping through the trees

The poised, Large Nijinski on Anvil Point

And possibly my favourites, the petite Empire State with Bowler- Mirrored,  a piece that is obviously appreciated by the local spiders

They look so deceptively simple in close up, as if given a a pack of plasticine anyone could knock one up (oh no, I’ve just looked at last years post and I thought Damien Hursts work looked like pasticine, I think my art appreciations need s mature beyond primary school)

In previous years the Beyond Limits exhibition at Chatsworth has comprised of sculptures by many different artists and whilst I knew I would enjoy the Flannagan sculptures, I do prefer the bigger more diverse event that I’ve posted about before I’m a bit puzzled that it’s described as a ‘selling exhibition’, could so many of Flanagan’s works be for sale at once? But then  is anything is for sale if the price is right?

Life Drawing, by Mrs Ogg

Life Drawing.

If you think I’m going to post my efforts, you are wrong. I’ve a way to go  yet

Hope is a Thing with Feathers

Coast path nr Prawle Point, South Devon

 

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune–without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I’ve heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

Emily Dickenson 1830-1886 

I’d not heard of Emily Dickenson, until I saw the work of artist Sarah Sharpe  at the Derbyshire Open Arts event, many of Sarah’s pieces are inspired by Dickenson. 

Perhaps a photo of a swallow, swift or wren may have been a daintier bird to balance the poem, but we have a bird equality policy on this blog, all birds are equal.

Sunset Cliché

Can you have too many photos of sunsets in your holiday snaps? Mrs Ogg and I discussed this matter at length (over a glass of  wine, as you do). In truth we decided that we didn’t much care, we’ll just keep snapping away.

It is as traditional as a Christmas dinner.

Mrs Ogg snapping

Spud on Sunday part LXVI

Spud the dog, a portrait by our friend Mrs Ogg

 

Spud got very excited watching the Olympic games last night, what a golden night it was. Mr Uphilldowndale and Tom are down on the beach in Weymouth watching all the sailing action on big screens and are having a very pleasant time by all accounts.

The Thread of Life

I’ve been at the Whitworth Centre in Darley Dale today, it is somewhere I’ve driven past hundreds of times, but never given much of a thought to, it is a grand Victorian building (although its website is not so grand).

Joseph Whitworth invented a few things, the Whitworth Screw and Whitworth Rifle for a starters, and he was a wealthy philanthropist

As I was there in the guise of paid employment I didn’t have my camera, or the time to dawdle around collecting blog fodder. But I did take a few snaps with my phone, of the wonderful polished limestone panels that line the main corridor of the building. It was dimly lit so the quality is poor, so I’ve played about with the images to try show you the fabulous fossils in the limestone.

It’s like gazing into a distant galaxy…

Fossils make me think how

the human race is just a little blip in time.

The Whitworth Centre is hosting part of the Derbyshire Open Arts Festival at the beginning of June, if I can face the bank holiday traffic, I may return for a more leisurely look around.

Spud on Sunday Part XXXXII

Dog Meets Mushroom

Ok, so it is Saturday, not Sunday, Spud is a day early this week, as I can’t see how to schedule post publication in Window Live Writer. There must be away, but it is hiding from me.

I have plans to be away from my keyboard this week. I’ll be back.

In the mean time here is Spud investigating a field mushroom, that Mr Uphilldowndale found (not surprisingly) down the field .

 

There must be a few lines of poetry  hidden in  the imagery  of spaniels ears and mushroom gills.  I can see it, but not say it; so I’ll leave that to the wordsmiths..

Chloe’s World

My favourite work at the Beyond Limits exhibition

Chloe’s World by Jaume Plensa

It seems like a hologram, despite being stone

transient, a grainy TV images of the 1960’s? Or ‘Beam me up Scotty’ of the 1970’s?

I have a need to dash off and see more of Plensa’s  work at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.