Making art with Snow (1). Food colouring on snow...

Making art with Snow (1). Food colouring on snow…

Dr. Gil Dekel.

Nature is not just a great place to work in, but also to work with. Nature provides for ‎resources for the art-work itself, and teaches us to work with its properties (the wind, ‎colours, and shapes found in nature).‎

Making art with Nature (13)

Making art with Nature (13). Nicole and Gil Dekel.

Art with nature 14

Making art with Nature (14). Nicole and Gil Dekel.

Making art with Nature (15). Nicole and Gil Dekel.

 

Making art with Nature (16). Nicole and Gil Dekel.[/caption]

Making art with Nature (17). Nicole and Gil Dekel.

Making art with Nature (18). Nicole and Gil Dekel.

Making art with Nature (19). Nicole and Gil Dekel.

In the following project I have used paper, glue-stick, as well as ‘items’ from nature.‎

The first step was to overcome the strong wind, which blew off my paper. The solution was ‎to work with the wind, not against it. I held paper stripes in one hand, and simply ‘let’ the ‎wind blow against them. As the paper was ‘dancing’ with the wind, I simply lowered it on my ‎card, and fixed it on the card in the angle and ‘pose’ that the wind blew it. The wind became ‎the ‘hand’ that was holding the brush, so to speak, as it was ‘shaping’ the stripes the way she ‎wanted to. I was only fixing the paper on the card.

‎Then I looked at the cars across the streets. The cars were driving off from ferry that docked ‎not far from us in the port. As I looked at the cars driving, I noted each car’s colours – and I ‎chose the same colour stripe to include in the art. The colour stripes in the art are a ‘map’ ‎to the colours of the cars that were driving as I created this work. ‎

Creating art from, and with, nature.‎

Art with nature (2)

I then decided to include some petals and leaves I saw around me. In an artistic-manner, I ‎felt that belongs to the Earth and not to me, so I have ‘asked’ permission from each petal, ‎leaf, tree branch or blade of grass. Just before picking any of them, I have asked (in my ‎mind): ‘Would you like to be part of my art work?…’‎

The trees had no problem sharing some of their leaves and small branches. Likewise the ‎flowers were ok with this, apart of one red tulip who refused (so I felt)… The tulip next to it ‎was happy to participate.‎

Creating art from, and with, nature.‎

Art with nature (3)

As I started to ‘dot’ nature in the work, a small fly landed on one of the leaves. A good sign ‎that nature was living in the work…‎

For some reason, I felt that I need to cover the first ‘layer’ of nature with coloured paper. ‎Quite a decision – to cover nature – yet then I added new leaves on top of the paper. It felt as ‎if nature was blooming at first in the art work, then dying (being covered by paper), and ‎then blooming again. A perfect artistic representation of the real process nature goes…‎

Creating art from, and with, nature.‎

Art with nature (4)

Creating art from, and with, nature.‎

Art with nature (5)

The last stage was to create a paper ‘frame’ around nature. I have chopped parts off from ‎yellow paper, which looks as if the leaves were ‘eating’ into it. Around it I added a blue ‎frame.

Creating art from, and with, nature.‎

Art with nature (6)

I then ‘sprinkled’ some green grass all over the work.‎

Creating art from, and with, nature.‎

Art with nature (8)

Creating art from, and with, nature.‎

Art with nature (9)

Creating art from, and with, nature.‎

Art with nature (10)

 

The following photos are from a project to work with clay in nature. The initial idea was to sculpture nature with the clay.

working with clay in nature

Art with Nature (11) – working with clay

Art with Nature (12) – working with clay

Art with Nature (13) - working with clay

Art with Nature (13) – working with clay

 

Snow Art with food colouring:

Making art with Snow (1). Food colouring on snow...

Making art with Snow (1). Food colouring on snow…

 

Making art with Snow (2). Food colouring on snow.

Making art with Snow (2). Food colouring on snow.

 

Making art with Snow (3). Food colouring on snow...

Making art with Snow (3). Food colouring on snow…

 

Making art with Snow (5). Food colouring on snow...

Making art with Snow (5). Food colouring on snow…

 

Making art with Snow (6). Food colouring on snow...

Making art with Snow (6). Food colouring on snow…

 

Making art with Snow (7). Food colouring on snow...

Making art with Snow (7). Food colouring on snow…

 

 

8 April 2015. Last update 24 Aug 2019.
‎© text and photos by Gil and Natalie Dekel‎
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