Life and Reflections from Kielder
Weekly Journal of life , nature and creative encounters
Life and Personal Reflections
I feel conflicted when a strong storm arrives , as i love its presence , but i know that i have had many life storms and it often brings upset which can linger long after the storm has passed. Weather storms feel the same , there is awe in its force but insecurity of its ease of destruction. This storm had arrived on Octobers full moon : the Indigenous first nation , Lakota called this moon “ When the wind shakes off the leaves moon” which i love . This resonates with my thoughts of creating your own personal names and stories of the natural world which is meaningful to you , you need not abandon but integrate with what resonates in your own relationship to nature.
Don’t forsake Joy
In fear of sorrow
Christopher Evans
This is a theme within my life at the moment , although sometimes it feels that the sorrow is a more familiar place which when moving into joy creates some discomfort. One of my reasons for my holiday was just to quieten myself and notice those old narratives in full chorus every time i begin something. Sometimes a storm is needed , just like the trees need a little help shedding its summer to ready itself for winter. Storms look like chaos , but as someone Autistic , i can confirm that chaos is really complicated patterns that we have yet to discover.
What i don’t like about storms is when Stella ( The cat ) goes out in them , i cannot stop her living her life but i do sit worried until she returns.
The storms brings in mixed feelings but there is another deep sense after a storm whatever its outcome of an energy that exists in the woodland , which feels so familiar and be truthful i have no words , within it , is a stillness holding the energy. Natures antidote to the aftermath of a storm is not holding onto what happened but to acknowledge the pain , re-centre and ground , clean up and evolve. Its about not letting your past determine your future , stopping those thoughts define you and being present.
Within the next week i have some Falstone trees to show each day.
Bakethin Nature Reserve
Weeks Reflection
Let your
Endeavours scatter
into the wind
christopher evans
It was a fortuitous time of finding fungi along my walk , i love the earthy colours , the reddy browns and inviting umbers which accompany your walk. The Inky Caps are a favourite as they make wonderful , dark and rich ink just by removing the stalks and placing the body into a sealed jar for a few week : I have been told on Social Media they are delicious when eaten young , but please do not eat any mushrooms in the wild unless you are 100% sure what it is.
There are the tiniest of tiny mushrooms scattering amongst the Moss which i have to tentatively walk across minding i do not stand on them are so exquisite beautiful in form and they look like huge cities pushing upwards through the deep velvety forest floor. I feel there is much more beneath , maybe fairies congregating for the up-coming Halloween.
Halloween is different from Samhain as is is not really a day , but a moment when the veils of other dimensions open up which could last a few days if not a bit more. These moments are for reflection , finding your heart beat and being with breath . We seek things external but the reality of Samhain is that its internal.
Field Sketch
To begin wandering woodlands i always advice to begin in January when its empty , the hidden paths are revealed and that provides your foundation to the magic which will unfold through the year. When you can do this , Autumn is like a gift as you have connected to each of the proceeding moments. However, not being a purist or a perfectionist if its your very first time to venture into the woods right now , let the autumn moments capture your heart , make you sing in delight and your heart flutter with its magic.
The Grass along the wild verges to the reservoir are mesmerising in their golden colour twinkling in the morning sunlight. Make sure you give these ancient fellows the time , discover them , be intrigued by them and find a story where grasses have helped you , was it bread , beer , wild rice , aromatic , noodles and maybe a health juice ? this is helpful to develop a intimate relationship with plants.
In the Quiet of the Wild
creative encounters of the Forest
My first visit since May due to summer Midges in the forest and my anniversary of beginning to paint outside which began with 3 degrees C , always a good temperature to deter Midges. When i first began i ventured into some known places within Bakethin Nature Reserve after a few weeks the Forestry England closed the carparks down to log a nature reserve , i am still fuming at this corporate destruction hiding behind legislation which they created. After that i spent nearly 4 months returning to the same place , ironically using a Forestry England entrance into Bull Crag Peninsular to park . I called these forest forms my “Teachers” of learning to connect to the Forest by direct painting and letting what came from me , be my art without judgement.
Finding your space within you that radiates your spirit and being able to share that regardless of opinions is a Forest teaching within itself . To be unashamedly and unapologetically yourself , to be your own truth and be grounded steadfast is what the Forest guides all wisdom teachers.
Your art doesn’t need to be created following conditions and rules to fit inside a cultural box . It doesn’t need to be made to sell , achieve likes and obtain followers : its purpose is the meaning which embodies your being whilst you make it. Your own language. To satisfy and nourish your soul. Its creative direction fluctuates and becomes an evolving part of you , not by intellectualism but through experiential of doing , being curious of play and finding stillness allowing whatever to flow from you is enabled.
It seemed fitting for me to return to my “Teachers” in a quiet corner of Bull Crag Peninsular so i may begin again. The place has become a little softer with more undergrowth , the saplings have grown along with moss forming shapes on the forest forms whilst the lichen has done its own colouring.
This time around it was playing with Mono Prints in various papers to see how my newly found techniques manifest with the Forest forms as it did with Wild Verges. It is another layer of a process to remove my mind trying to shape something and allowing my gestures to become organic and responsive rather than trying to copy whats in front of me , which is far more beautiful than a painting or photograph can achieve.
Small Encounters | Small Responses
Watercolour on A4 Watercolour Paper & 170×250mm Sketch Book
Large Responses | Felt Senses
Pencil , Charcoal & Watercolour Mono Print on A2 Paper
Bull Crag Peninsular
As i had lost my images being a numpty and not filing them correctly i have rummaged my image bin for some favourites of the month and the fact that fungi have not been so prolific as last year i can share some lovely ones that i encountered this October which i had never seen before with exception to the tiny Mycena mushrooms popping out of the Moss.
I love the colours of the two above but in my quest to build my own relationship with the Forest and create my own names and stories which directly connect me to my experience is these beautiful tiny of the tiniest mushroom which tell you that not everything has to be big to be awesome.
These are my Fairy stopping places for Samhain which populate around the trees in the moss. The Romani Gypsies have a name Atchin -Tan from the verb Stay or Stop and Tan being Place. So i am naming them “Atchin Tan Mushrooms” as temporary stopping places for the Fairies to congregate for celebrating Samhain.
A little bit of my History is that i am slightly partially Romani . It is a bizarre story which nobody really knows the truth but my Great Grandfather on my mothers side was Flemish , and although married he met a lady from Romania ( not all from Romania are Gypsies ! ) who was Romani, on the Flemish WW1 battlefields and came to Manchester to start a fresh life.
Hareshaw Linn
Noticing opens the heart to seeing life in detail , the tiny remaining blackberry petals that have curled up in a ball , the Cow Parsley seed head with its muted colours and strange markings , how the Hawthorn leaves become beautifully mottled and bring out the ref berries ,and strange orange red berries hidden in a corner. Mindfulness works both ways , you build up curiosity and bring your attention to your surroundings and when you begin to notice more it strengthens your mindfulness which creates a beautiful upward cycle of finding joy back in life.
Field Sketch
The idea is that i am going to do one field sketch per week but i am in figuring it out mode as its been many many years since i made sketch books and it was urban settings prior to this. I am also of an opinion that sketch books should be messy , un-sure and playful otherwise they are small artwork pieces not connections and building relationships.
