#ArtistHighlight

Miniature stoneworks. Giants amongst pebbles.

Miniature stoneworks may look like the real deal close up, but they are in fact far more complicated to build and also cannot withstand the same abuse as large scale stonework. In general stonework can take a lot of abuse , only really taking damage by human error when being hit by a vehicle or if poorly built. Miniature stoneworks are a lot more fragile, a dangling sleeve,a strong gust of wind or even placing a stone with too much conviction can bring the whole thing crumbl

Can tradespeople be artists? Lets ask Johnny Clasper.

Can tradespeople be artists? An interesting question which is being explored by a new Irish series on TG4 at the moment called ‘Dullamullóg’ Launched last Sunday 13th January, the show follows six tradespeople who take on the challenge of creating a piece of critically acclaimed art. Each tradesperson is paired up with a professional artist who helps them with their work. The final piece is then put in amongst professional art works which are all scrutinised by art critic Cia

The colossal land art of Andrew Rogers

Andrew Rogers is a sculptor whose works may be found in many plazas and buildings around the world. He is a leading contemporary artist. Rogers is the creator of the world’s largest contemporary land art undertaking. Titled “Rhythms of Life,” the project commenced in 1998 and at present comprises 48 massive stone structures (Geoglyphs) across 13 countries in seven continents and has involved over 6,700 people. These Geoglyphs range in size up to 40,000 sq m/430,560 sq ft – an

True love is set in stone

There is something very special about creating a piece of art in stone to celebrate a loved ones life. Probably the most unique and moving example of this is the recently completed Kerry Landman Memorial. The wall is situated at Island Lake Conservation Area on Hurontario Street South and is open to the public seven days a week. The Memorial Forest Trail runs through part of the conservation area and takes you through the ‘Dods and McNair Memorial Forest’ where the dry stone

Tree Art for National Tree Week

Like every year on National Tree Week I like to do a tree related post. And as it is National Tree Week here in Ireland at the moment, I thought I would mention some ‘tree themed’ sculptures that I really like. German artist and art teacher Ute Lennartz-Lembeck took up the hobby, also known as “yarnbombing”, after seeing the work of others on a visit to Berlin. Graffiti knitters typically install their stitched creations on signposts, statues, bicycles and any other surface

Turning old instruments into art!

So this is a post that will strike different ‘chords’ with different people. For some this is art, but others may see this as decimation of a beautiful instrument. But before you begin to grieve for them, to my knowledge all the instruments shown here were beyond repair. The above picture is of the Garden Piano in the gardens of HagalFarm, my parents’ holistic retreat in West Cork, Ireland. I have written about this in a previous blog post which you can find here. Recently I

Jeffrey Bale’s Mosaic Pilgrimage, a labour of love, a labour of pebbles!

Many of you may already be familiar with the work of Jeffery Bale, but for those of you who aren’t, I feel the need to share his work with you. I am a big fan of mosaics. One of my favourite city to visit is Barcelona, mainly because of all the wonderful mosaics of Gaudi that decorate much of the city. I have even ventured to make a few mosaics myself upon occasion (see my blog post on making mosaics) but nothing as large, detailed or impressive as the mosaics of Jeffery. For

Once upon a fairytale garden

So it is a new year, and for many people 2012 is looking pretty bleak indeed. That is why I am re-posting this old post I did last year. This story can help remind us that even from the ashes of devastation and despair, life and prosperity will once again flourish. Wishing everyone a very happy new year, and I hope 2012 brings you all good health, wealth, and happiness. Once upon a time in the hills of the great dividing range of Victoria on the edge of a town called Marysvil

The Bottle Houses, Prince Edward Island

The use of glass in the landscape is something that has interested me for some time, and is something I hope to incorporate into one of my stone projects at some stage. It is buildings like these bottle houses below that make me want to try it out for myself. What an amazing place it is. And as with all inspiring places lies a compelling story of a innovative mind with a creative dream. The Bottle Houses are located at Cap-Egmont, Prince Edward Island, on the gorgeous east co

The amazing flowing stonework of Michael Eckerman

It’s not very difficult to see why Michael Eckerman and his stonework is loved by the surfing community, building stone features for many of the great surfers, and even getting featured in The Surfer’s Journal back in 2007. Bored with traditional stonework, Micheal’s creative nature has led him away from traditional design. Attracted by the flowing aspects of tectonic upheavals of lava flows that he observed in his travels, he began forming his own signature style of stonewor

Artist Liu Bolin’s disappearance into the landscape.

Came across this amazing guy the other day. 37-year-old artist Liu Bolin, from Shandong, China camouflages himself into the environment. The talented Liu Bolin says his art is a protest against the actions of the Government, who shut down his art studio in 2005 and persecutes artists. It’s about not fitting into modern society. The government had stipulated that it didn’t want artists gathering and working together. Despite these problems with the authorities, Liu’s works are

Stone Woman, Thea Alvin

A while back while visiting Jan Johnsen landscape gardening blog ‘Serenity In The Garden‘ (a blog I highly recommend checking out if you don’t know it already) I saw this photo (derectally above ↑) and at first glance, thought it was a piece by Andy Goldsworthy. I quickly discovered that this fabulous piece of stone art was not the work of Goldsworthy but of Vermont Stonemason/ Artist Thea Alvin. Thea has been a professional stone mason for 25 years, and uses the dry stone st