Norbert Schwontkowski II

Bleak, full of futile attempts at escape and dripping with surreal sorrow, these are the paintings of German painter Norbert Schwontkowski ( 1949-2013).   

"all of us, all human beings have lost something, and nobody knows what it is." Norbert Schwontkowski

Sue and Pete Hill

These wonderful fish, made by Cornish brother and sister team Pete and Sue Hill, were suspended in the forest glen at Kelburn, beautiful in their movement and reflections of the environment.

“When the ice melts” by Sue and Pete Hill, imagines a time, perhaps in the distant future, perhaps sooner, when our familiar landscapes disappear under the sea, as the melting of ice caps accelerates. The fish are made from recycled aluminum litho plate. They respond sensitively to weather – pointing the wind direction like weather-vanes and darting as the wind works the trees, stretching their suspension cords tight."

Rob Mulholland

I am late today as I have been away at Kelburn Garden Party and failed to schedule today's post. So for a change, I will show you some of the things I saw last weekend at the festival and these works by sculptor Rob Mulholland who has been commissioned to create a permanent installation at Kelburn Glen.

Cornelia O’Donovan II

Further work by Cornelia O’Donovan this time featuring her portrait of plants and flowers in various pots and vases. 

‘Working blind, working in the dark, sifting through sand with eyes shut, working backwards. I sometimes feel lost and feel only that I am compelled to make marks and put images down, I see colours everywhere and take them to the studio with me. they are fragments, snatched from dreams, and I am collecting them and ironing out tangles and hoarding and obsessing, then suddenly it is enough and I can’t see the way forward again. I am exhausted and have used it all up. I rest and the desire to record grows again. Once I am making it becomes a dialogue and a full interior world, complex and mesmerising, part of the world and nature. The privacy of the studio. The solitude. A process of acceptance. Looking around my immediate environment I see how a home, daily work and reputation in housework, a small arrangement of and groups of objects all contribute to painting. They all become part of you, learning through making.’ Cornelia O’Donovan

Cornelia O’Donovan I

Cornelia O’Donovan's paintings are quite amazing, they are blurry and indistinct in execution almost like dreams or memories, They also seem to span time in that they are modern whilst being historic, containing the visual language of decorative and folk art.  Cornelia's paintings also use the imagery of outsider art a silhouette depiction almost like a simple paper cut, reminding me of the style of Bill Traylor.

Amir Shaabanipour I

'A rainbow of Shoes' is a story by Fatemeh Mashhadi Rostam about a millipede struggling to find footwear. Illustrated by Amir Shaabanipour it has bold use of layered thick acrylic paint, sponging and print.

Atieh Bozorg Sohrabi III

There is a geography in the illustration of most Persian/ Iranian books that I adore. Whether it describes a village, a house interior or thoughts the way that the content and illustrations assemble on the page, like a strange map brings me great delight, they have a visual language all of their own.  This is 'Pussy Cat and Pussy Mouse' written by Farideh Khalatbaree and illustrated by the wonderful Atieh Bozorg Sohrabi . In this story, a mouse escapes from a cat into another house and faints to see a cat at this house too. However, this cat is a lovely cat and the cat and mouse, much to the mistresses' horror fall in love. A friendly crow saves the day by teaching the cat to fly so that she can fly the mouse to safety.

I have blogged this book before but did not have access to the illustrations and story that I do now, so please enjoy the second exploration of this delightful book.

Neda Azimi IV

'My daddy's tattoos', written by Ali Naseri, and illustrated by Neda Azimi. In this wonderful back where a boys father has his secrets tattooed on this back, Neda Azimi has used textile elements and objects in the collage, adding a warmth with the shared knowledge of cloth. The boy wanted to rub the pictures on his father's skin away and tries with a cloth at the baths, but the tattoos cannot be erased and the secrets lay locked in his father's skin and memory.

Neda Azimi III

'The Cat and the stars' written by Kambiz Kakavand and illustrated by Neda Azimi is the story of a bad, hungry cat who chases and eats the stars.

Nazli Tahvili

'The Boy Who Knew How to Count', by Hoda Haddadi about the journey to knowledge, with bold, dynamic and energetic illustrations by Nazli Tahvili

Selim Peabody

Continuing my exploration of Baldwin Library of children's literature I have found; 'Cecil's book of Birds'. If you are interested in birds, it makes interesting, if often horrific reading. It was written and illustrated with these incredible studies by Selim Hobart Peabody in 1871.

Selim Peabody (1829-1903) graduated at the University of Vermont in 1852, the breadth of this mans scholarship and knowledge is phenomenal, he held professorships in mathematics, physics, and engineering at several colleges, and from 1880 to 1891 was president of the University of Illinois. He wrote and illustrated many books on natural history for children.