The secret gallery’s blog

I like this photograph even though it shows very a dirty window and neglected herbs! It looks a bit like a painting. Currently I am gathering material for a new body of art work. I am not sure what will come out !

One of my main areas of interest is finding some sort of balance between a more frugal and hard core natural existence and a comfortable, convenient way of living, and if it is possible to live in harmony with the planet, particularly in our society. We have created a totally unsustainable way of existing on this planet. Sometimes I think that we are so far off the mark that even trying seems futile. When I move on from this negative thought pattern I  get excited by the thoughts of growing our own fruit and vegetables and collecting free food from the earth and sea. Looking out our kitchen window and seeing a beautiful horse makes me feel happy. It strikes a cord somewhere deep within me about something we are loosing; a more natural and harmonious way of life.

Words cut out of recycled gold paper from coffee packaging, hand turned wooden platter made by my Dad, home make banana bread, butter and cling film on wooden table.

Why should art be separated from our “normal” everyday life?

Thank you for looking.

Our Garden: Potatoes, shallots, scallions, giant mustard, land cress, rocket and spinach and a lot of nettles!

All these from one potato! I am just a beginner so I am very excited!

Can you spot the old lobster claw dug up with the potatoes?

Our lovely neighbours gave us these and a couple more as well, yum!

I have not written for a while but I hope to write more very soon!

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The other day, I headed to a beach near Lahinch, well it is a stony beach with driftwood and a lot of rubbish. After almost filling the boot of the car with drift wood, I decided to fill a large bag with plastic bottles and bring them to the bottle bank. It was like saying a little thank you to the beach for the driftwood. When we got home our children played with the driftwood and we have been burning it in the fire and I have kept some of the more suitable pieces for hanging some of the hand made books from and maybe to make some other things with them.

The Secret Gallery will be opening again soon, so we are getting ready, lots of tidying and painting and making small art objects for it. At the moment the theme is to create a fun and memorable ritual with an every day recycled object; creating something special out of the ordinary! Just think how much of our life we don’t remember; one day is often much like another. I would like to do little things to change that.

Small pieces of earth on the kitchen floor!

Old Christmas tree, coal, wood, turf, stone, leaves and dried grass

A little bit of outside inside!

For the last few days I have been tending a glowing fire. When the Children started to play with the contents of my tinder box, I thought what a lovely idea! It is miniature pieces of the earth, and full of energy. I left the little pieces of plastic in as a sad reminder of what we are doing to the planet that supports us. Life in this part of the world has become so sanitized; living at one with nature seems very remote. I do confess to being very speedy in sweeping up this lovely mess from the kitchen floor!

A fire really is the next best thing to the hot sun, now where is that heating oil lorry!!