Taking Leave

As the days shorten and the temperature drops, the leaves of deciduous trees stop making chlorophyll, the green pigment that plants produce to turn sunlight into food. This reveals the other pigments present in the leaf; the oranges and yellows of carotenoids, and the reds and purples of anthocyanins.  Eventually the leaves drop and the trees enter winter dormancy, however the buds for next years growth are already developed, just waiting for the returning warmth and sunlight in the spring.

Time to say goodbye   
Winter is round the corner and it’s time to wave goodbye to the woods at Yeovil Country Park. I have really enjoyed being artist-in-residence, it has been a privilege to spend time here, working with local residents. Yeovil Country Park is a truly wonderful resource, right on the edge of the town. I have been so impressed by the hardworking Park Rangers, and by the beautiful artwork made by everyone who joined us on the family days, especially by the dedicated students at Preston and Fiveways Schools. Everyone’s work was united in an inspiring exhibition at the Octagon Theatre.

Special Thanks
I would like to thank the Ranger team at Yeovil Country Park, the staff at Somerset Art Works, South Somerset District Council and the Octagon Theatre, my wonderful assistant Nancy Castle, staff and students of Fiveways and Preston School, and everyone who participated n the workshops, for making this project such a pleasure, as well as a success.   Elizabeth Jardine

Funky Fungi

Fun was had by one and all on Saturday at Yeovil Country Park at the last family workshop for Water-Meadow-Wood. After a guided mushroom walk families rolled up their sleeves and made a fabulous array of mushroom and toadstool sculptures. I was really impressed by the detail that some young sculptors went to, as well as some very imaginative colour choices!

It was a wonderful ending to my time as resident artist at Yeovil Country Park, as the year winds round and the leaves start to fall.

There is still time to see the Water-Meadow-Wood showcase at the Octagon Theatre, the final day of the exhibition is Sunday.

 

 

Funky Fungi!

Pop along to Yeovil Country Park this Saturday to reel in the Autumn with some seasonal sculptures! 

Fungi are fundamental to the life of plants and animals, the third Natural Kingdom of the world. They are crucial to a woodland ecosystem and the woods at Yeovil Country park are home to some very special specimens.

Join me to make your very own fungi out of air-drying clay to take home!

Starts: Saturday, October 07, 2017 12:30 PM

Ends: Saturday, October 07, 2017 3:00 PM

This is a free drop-in session, no need to book a place, you can find us by the Ninesprings Cafe.

Before making your sculpture you can learn more about the fascinating fungi in Ninesprings by joining the Fungi Foray,  a guided walk through Ninesprings with renowned mycologist Michael Jordan. 10.00 -12.00, Cost £7.00 per adult,  £5.00 per child – all children must be accompanied by an adult. Booking required: https://www.southsomersetcountryside.com/yeovil-country-park/events-at-ycp/fungi-foray-with-michael-jordan/

 

Showcase Event!

As Summer slides away it’s time to celebrate the work made over the Water-Meadow-Wood residency at Yeovil Country Park in a final showcase event. Elizabeth and Nancy installed the show today with the help of Pauline from the Theatre.

The show follows three key elements of the woods: the leafy canopy ‘Overhead’; the structure and form of trees ‘All Around’, and the mysterious networks ‘Underfoot’.

Working with clay, children and young people have made leaves, bark pots and footprints, creating a permanent imprint of their time in the woods. Everyone was involved throughout the process, mixing underglaze colours and even developing their own ash glaze from materials they collected in the park.

Come and see the results for yourself at the Octagon Theatre! The exhibition is open Monday to Saturday, 12 noon till 5pm, plus theatre show open evenings.

Water-Meadow-Wood Exhibition 2017

water-meadow-WOOD

Guest blog post and photography from SAW blogger Davina Jelley

Earlier this year Elizabeth Jardine was appointed to deliver the third and final instalment of the artist residency programme at Yeovil Country Park. This three year project has enabled the local community to artistically engage and investigate the three key elements that shape the park’s landscape and historical development. Year one saw Deborah Westmancoat lead workshops inspired by the Victorian water gardens, year two Carolyn Lefley focused on the expanse of meadow, and this year the spotlight was on wood.

Last week was my first visit to the park and I caught up with Elizabeth in the midst of her last workshop. Despite the light rain and dark summer sky the day was incredibly busy and so well attended that extra supplies of clay had to be sent for.  It was very pleasing to see so many families keen to join Elizabeth in making ceramic leaves and I was quite taken with how calmly she oversaw the making process, encouraging all ages to participate.

The children took great delight in rolling out the clay, impressing a leaf into the surface and then carefully cutting out the form, which for some little ones was quite challenging, but they persevered with a little help from parents or older siblings. After applying a coloured glaze, the children could then choose which leaf they wanted to take home, leaving the other to be fired ready to be displayed in the forthcoming exhibition at the Octagon Theatre. I did a quick count of leaves before I headed home and there was nearly one hundred!

 

Alongside these drop in style workshops Elizabeth has been working on a regular basis with schools and local community groups. Over time these youngsters have learned new skills, built confidence within themselves and formed a personal connection with their local landscape. Elizabeth explained that one boy on his initial visit was reluctant to get off the bus but on his subsequent visit was first off!

Rather than overwhelm the children with information, Elizabeth broke the looking and discovering into different aspects: roots, trunk, canopy. Combine all three and hopefully they can now easily digest and understand a little of the rich habitat of tree and wood, and in turn convey what a tree can inspire.

The results of Elizabeth’s residency can be viewed in the cafe bar at The Octagon Theatre during the 2017 Somerset Art Weeks Festival and is listed as Venue 97 in the brochure. Opening times are Monday – Saturday 12noon – 5pm, plus during theatre show evenings.

Wonderful Woodlands

Be part of the Water-Meadow-Woods exhibition and residency!

Come and join me at Yeovil Country Park Family day on Friday 28th July between 11am and 4pm. We will roll out leaves and cut them out, colouring them with ceramic underglaze paints. The leaves will be fired and glazed, and will be exhibited in a showcase event at the Octagon theatre in September.

We will use air-drying clay so if you make a second leaf you can take it home with you to keep!

Wonderful Woodlands Family Day Friday 28th July

Pop along to the meadows and woodlands at Ninespirngs to discover the wonderful woodlands and wildlife. There will be owl handling, arts and crafts, woodland nature trail, bug hunting, bushcraft and many more wonderful woodlands activities, all free, adjacent to the Ninesprings Cafe.

For More info please see YCP events page.

Down to the Roots…

We’ve been paying our respects to the forest floor at Yeovil Country Park. Much of the important elements of the woodland happen right under our feet, where roots, soil and minibeasts all live. Soil is integral to the health of a woodland and is made up of organic matter, rock, water, air and living organisms.

Making Tracks

Children from both Schools had fun making forest floor footprints, squishing their feet against the soil and cutting around them. We made a paint with soil that we collected, mixing it up and painting it onto the footprints. It is very sandy soil!

Home from Home

We are feeling more and more familiar with the park, and have been exploring a little further each visit. Last week we got up close and personal with the trees again, climbing inside; outside and underneath them, inpecting a badger set and a hollow tree. On one session, a terrible storm made us seek shelter but we brought the outside in, making a cosy den with branches and netting, we felt right at home!

 

Barking up the right tree!

We’ve come down from the leafy canopy and have been studying the structure of trees, looking at bark and branches. Bark is a really important part of the tree. The inner bark transports minerals up from the roots. The outer bark protects the tree and creates a range of ecological niches which provide habitats for different plants and animals.

Students from Fiveways have been very busy mapping tree textures at Ninesprings. Each tree is entirely unique! We made some beautiful pots and wall-hangings. Preston students enjoyed experimenting with ceramic oxides to highlight the texture of their tree-trunk pots. Oxides are metallic pigments which will react with the final glaze to produce exciting colours.

Splashes…

We had a lovely time cooling our feet in the lake after a very active walk familiarising ourselves with the trees. Once we were refreshed we coated our leaves and pots with a transparent glaze to make them super shiny and waterproof.

…And Ashes!

Students from Fiveways School burned the leaves they had collected previously to make ashes which we will use to develop a ceramic glaze for their tree-trunk pots. It was a good excuse to cook up some yummy marshmallows too thanks to Park Ranger Becky! Students from Preston School foraged on the meadow bonfire site for their ashes. It will be interesting to compare the different results!

With thanks to Nancy Castle for the photographs.

The Way through the Woods…

Summer is in full swing as we delve deeper into the woods. Fiveways School began their sessions this week with some adventurous orienteering, using a map to find their way to a secret lakeside location.

We collected lots of leaves on the way, and explored their different properties before making our own ceramic leaves and some little bowls. It was a rather hot day and we were very envious of the ducks and swans enjoying the cool water!

Tree-hugging

After a spot of lounging around in the canopy, students from Preston School worked together to make tree-trunk wrap-around pots.  We rolled clay slabs and pressed them against our favorite tree. It was very exciting to peel the clay away from the tree-trunk, revealing the texture of the bark.

Ash Glaze

Trees and plants draw out a unique cocktail of minerals from the underlying geology, which are still present after the plant is burned. I’ve begun developing some ceramic glazes using ash collected from Yeovil Counrty Park. I’m looking forward to seeing the results!