Wednesday, January 28, 2009

No More Land Art on Clougha


No More Land Art on Clougha, originally uploaded by escher1.

I have been instructed to dismantle the sculptures I have made on Clougha and to not create any more artworks anywhere on the Abbeystead Estate. Which pretty much rules out the whole of inland Northern Lancashire! It's a real shame but it is their land and they can do what they like with it. Thanks for everyone's interest in my sculptures, it has been a very rewarding experience for me but all good things come to an end. There'll be no more artwork from me in the Forest of Bowland and I think I will have to rethink my whole approach to what I love to do. I will probably stop publishing what I have done and where I have done it.

Unfortunately it is not required of land owners in England to have to publish what land belongs to whom, unlike in Scotland. This makes it very difficult, if not impossible when an estate is so large, to work out who the land owner is. As such it is quite a task to seek permission for the creation of ephemeral sculptures in natural locations. So what to do? I don't know.

Farewell Clougha it has been fun while it lasted! :-(

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Cockersands Beach Cairn


Cockersands Beach cairn, originally uploaded by escher1.


Cockerham Beach cairn, originally uploaded by escher1.

Making a Beach Cairn


Making a Beach Cairn
Originally uploaded by escher1

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Cliff Stack


Cliff Stack Closeup, originally uploaded by escher1.


Cliff Pebble Stack, originally uploaded by escher1.


Pebble Stack in the Cliff, originally uploaded by escher1.

Making a 2 Colour Pebble Stack



Cliff Stack, originally uploaded by escher1.

Sandstone Stacks


Sandstone Stacks, originally uploaded by escher1.


Sandstone Stacks, originally uploaded by escher1.


Sandstone Stacks by the Cliff, originally uploaded by escher1.

Boulder Stacks in Silhouette


Boulder Stacks in Silhouette, originally uploaded by escher1.


Building Sandstone Stacks
Originally uploaded by escher1

Friday, January 16, 2009

Balance Towers


Balance Towers - Long Exposure, originally uploaded by escher1.


Balance Towers with Fill Flash, originally uploaded by escher1.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Balance Towers in Ambient Light


Balance Towers in Ambient Light, originally uploaded by escher1.

The trials and tribulations of crappy winter weather. I wanted to get out after work to practice an idea before having a proper go at the weekend. Without much daylight it had got pretty dark before I had even finished collecting the stone. I had to build them in the dark without a torch so they are a little tatty. It was pretty windy and constantly raining too. I had worn holes in the fingers of my gloves and got sand in both the remote shutter release and the shutter button on the camera meaning they were both stuck on. This meant it kept taking pictures, wouldn't meter properly and wouldn't let me review anything. I couldn't see enough to adjust the focus and had to guess. Still I managed to get a couple of useable shots although they are blurry and noisy. But I expected to get nothing so anything was a bonus.Finally I sloped off to the car wet and cold to try and get the water and sand out of my camera. Do I need my head read?

I like the colours in this one (this is as taken) though and it gives me ideas for more night time land art.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Pebble Colour Bars


Pebble Colour Bars, originally uploaded by escher1.

What's the artistic version of writer's block? Went out today to Clougha and tried several different things with several types of material - sticks, dead wood, balanced rocks, boulders, leaves, moss, wool. Nothing worked and I was getting very frustrated! So I went home and headed to the beach instead. I made a really nice rock balance with a great bit of driftwood but it fell down and the wood snapped in two. It was just not happening today!

As the tide went out this nice little rock pool appeared so at last I settled on something to do and this was the result.


Pebble Colour Bars in a Rock Pool, originally uploaded by escher1.

Frost Slab Circle


Frost Slab Circle, originally uploaded by escher1.

I only had a very short time to make anything this weekend and I went up to Clougha thinking arches. But when I got there I found a couple of slabs of rock which only had frost on some of their surface, perfect for a frosty circle I thought. Do you ever start something you wish you hadn't! There weren't very many stones with frost on at all as the wind had gotten up and I was having a great deal of trouble finding any more slabs with partial forst on them at all! So I had to search and search and it took ages. And the small pieces in the middle were even harder to find. Anyway I persisted while the frost on the first slabs I had found started to melt. So it doesn't really look how I wanted it to, its not white enough and there isn't enough contrast between the rock and the frost. I like bold and this doesn't quite do it. Fingers crossed that this winter will bring more opportunities to make something more striking.


Frost Slab Circle, originally uploaded by escher1.

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Icicle Sunset 2 days later


Icicle Sunset 2 days later, originally uploaded by escher1.

Went back today to find the icicles intact but perhaps a little melted. But where they had melted some interesting textures had appeared. Also was treated to a very nice sunset. So instead of making something new I watched the sun set and took more photos. For some reason this picture reminds me of the cover of Animals by Pink Floyd. Animals Cover

Sunday, January 04, 2009

Icicle Sunset


Icicle Sunset, originally uploaded by escher1.


Icicle Sunset 2, originally uploaded by escher1.


Inverted Icicles View, originally uploaded by escher1.

Silverdale Arch


Silverdale Arch, originally uploaded by escher1.


Silverdale Arch View, originally uploaded by escher1.

Saturday, January 03, 2009

Sunset Wave


Sunset Wave, originally uploaded by escher1.

Wave Tree


Wave Tree, originally uploaded by escher1.

Frosty Leaf Hole Over 3 Days


Frosty Leaf Hole Over 3 Days, originally uploaded by escher1.

Frost Leaf Patch Over 2 Days


Frost Leaf Patch Over 2 Days, originally uploaded by escher1.

Two Cairns in the Frost


Two Cairns in the Frost, originally uploaded by escher1.

Rimed Cairn


Rimed Cairn, originally uploaded by escher1.

Rimed Arch


Rimed Arch, originally uploaded by escher1.

Frost Sun Two Days Later


Frost Sun Two Days Later, originally uploaded by escher1.

Rimed Balance Cairn


Rimed Balance Cairn, originally uploaded by escher1.


Frosty Balance Cairn, originally uploaded by escher1.

Goldsworthy's Clougha Sculpture

Took a visit to Goldsworthy's installation on Clougha on New Years Day.