Midden

"A 'midden' (also kitchen midden or shell heap) is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, botanical material, mollusc shells, sherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human occupation."

I collect artifacts from a midden on the North of the Forth, North of Edinburgh, Scotland. I have always gathered as I walked, and now as I walk my new dog daily, the collection is large and growing.
It is the ceramics that I gather mainly and some bits of glass and I like to think of the lives that these objects were part of, right from the person who made it, painted it to the person that chose it, used it and eventually broke it.  I imagine the medicines in the medicine bottles and the people they treated, cured or failed. The teapots and the conversations they overheard . . .

I am no mosaic artist and the last time I gathered a sizable collection I gave them to the local college who incorporated them in a mural at the hospital.

This time I thought I would like to share these little scraps of lives lived, to creatives, writers poets, playwrights, artists, and musicians to set their creative minds to and to see what happens.

So if you would like to be part of this creative endeavor, please email me or message me via Instagram, Twitter or Facebook and I will send you five pieces of 'treasure'.

A little bit of sleuthing and I found the origin of this piece (on the left) one of James M Tod's Ginger beer bottles and it is Seafield Tower, Kirkcaldy that is depicted, wonderful!

Yuko Hosaka V

So far January has been beset with storms of various kinds around the world. Today we will be hit with wild winds and rains, I liked this image by Yuko Hosaka, showing everyone working together. 

Tammis Keefe

Tammis Keefe (1913-1960) designed textiles in the 1940s and 1950s, so her wonderful illustrations

were mainly applied to household linens such as T-towels and handkerchiefs. Her designs have such fun and humour that I wish she had made children's books to.

Hanna Czajkowska I

Hanna Czajkowska (1917-1991) was a Polish illustrator who combined many techniques to create exciting, vibrant and quite wonderful illustrations.

These illustrations are from 'Czerwony Pantofelek' written by Michal Plackowsci, the story of a lost and found red shoe. Hanna Czajkowska graduated from the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts in 1955 having had to postpone her studies due to the war, she was athletic, loved to ski and was a great cook.

Lara Hawthorne

Lara Hawthorne's painting made for the save Hamilton House campaign.

David Grossman II

More wonderful painted works from nature by David Grossman.

David Grossman I

There is a wonderful peace about David Grossman's paintings and also a golden magic of pattern, not unlike Gustave Klimt, but applied to nature. Thank you 

Amanda Mijangos

I knew it would come to this, overpowering despair, but I didn't expect it to be so rapid. I am talking of the current decimation of a continent and its flora and fauna, the world watches helplessly as the fires burn in Australia, the smoke blocks the sun in far off New Zealand, and billions of animals and plants succumb to the flames.
Meanwhile, while we are on this inevitable path of environmental disaster and our leaders, little egos diminishing in the scale of what is facing us, what do they do, but stoke the fire with inaction and start a war for distraction.

This illustration is by Amanda Mijangos, I loved its twists, it's pattern and though by no means aboriginal, it has a flavour of the story and rhythms of such artists works. 

Amanda Mijangos I

Animal Kingdom, from the exciting and dynamic portfolio of Amanda Mijangos.

Christian Robinson III

'Another' written and illustrated by Christian Robinson joyful dotty illustrations that just make you smile.

Elena Tarutina

I fell in love with this allotment sketch (above) by Elena Tarutina and then couldn't decide which of her other works to include as they were beautiful too. I choose some of her still lives with indigo touches but could have featured so many others. please explore her portfolio and enjoy it. 

Aušra Kiudulaitė III

This grumpy lion was in Aušra Kiudulaitė's best 9 images of 2019 and it is a perfect illustration for me, winter is good here often bright and cold but the dark is oppressive and shrinks your world. 

Ivan Chermayeff I

'The New Nutcracker Suite and Other Innocent Verses' by Ogden Nash with illustration by Ivan Chermayeff (1932-2017). Published by Little, Brown, and Company in 1962.
Ivan Chermayeff was born in London, the son of Russian born, British architect Serge Chermayeff. At 8 years old he moved with his family to America. At 18 he Graduated from the Phillips Academy of Andover, Massachusetts, he then went on to study at Harvard until 1952, the Institute of Design (New Bauhaus) until 1954 and the Yale School of Arts and Architecture in 1955. Within a year he founded the design studio Chermayeff & Geismar in New York with his former schoolmate; Tom Geismar and Robert Brownjohn. Chermayeff & Geismar was to be a world-leading design studio, designing over 600 trademarks, some of which are still in use today.
Ivan Chermayeff was also a fantastic illustrator and collagist whose mentor was Paul Rand.

Aušra Kiudulaitė II

I love this new year illustration by Aušra Kiudulaitė, carrying a weight into 2020. I feel that weight this time, the weight of mistakes of generations old and new, of climate change, of greed and intolerance.
I wish you luck and love where ever you are.