I found this Japanese artist by complete serendipity - happy accident! Her stuff is amazing! I have always had a thing for root systems - trees and branches. These are from her installation Urban Nature. Her name is NAOKO ITO. The comments that some people gave about her glass jars are funny because they show how some people really seem to appreciate it, and how others are poking holes just out of plain jealousy! I like the way she puts some little jars inside the bigger jars. I'm wondering how she preserved them all. Someone else also said within the comments that they look like the branches will grow, and so the jars will multiply to contain them. I think it's just fabulous!

These are my photos from Slieve Gullion. My niece showed me how to upload my images!! I had saved them in my word document instead of my images!

FOR SIOBHAN - I've just remembered how to do the pictures! Only because I just saw it again there now! When you go into the New Post bit and there's the wee Compose box to do the writing, along the top where the Font types and spell check and stuff is, there are wee icons of a rubber / eraser (!), a film reel and a picture - click the picture and it will allow you to upload pictures! Oh the joys of not knowing how to use this and making lots of mistakes!!

OK, I'm going to go with this one first - it's a painting belonging to my parents, well my Mama more so! There are all sorts of Witchy stories behind it, plus it has always drawn very differing comments from people! Some people hate it, others are transfixed by it! It has always reminded me of the Fairy Glen in Rostrevor, except I don't think that it is of there. The photo I took of it is the best of a bad bunch because I couldn't get proper lighting. I'm going to put other stuff on now too.

I've given up trying to display my pictures, so I'll just tell you!!

I was looking at weavers. I loved the work of seiko kinoshita www.seikokinoshita.com
I particularly liked the small pieces strung together. They made me think of leaves fluttering in a breeze. I also liked the long pieces she suspended across a ceiling, so you can stand under them and look up. Reminded me of standing under the branches of a tree and looking up through the leaves.
I loved the work of Ulla De Larios www.ulladelarios.com
She had explored the theme 'crossings'.
I went for a walk through the forest at Slieve Gullion. (I took photos, but they wouldn't be displayed either!!) The theme of 'crossings' was in my head. The trees seemed to be reaching, stretching, trying to cross, connect. I stood under a tree and looked up through the branches. The branches and leaves felt like a barrier I wanted to cross. What is on the other side? If I look through the spaces, what can I see? How do I cross/connect/befriend?

I can't get my pictures to appear? What am I doing wrong?

hansel and gretal

Ive come up with a lot of ideas but I think I am going to go with the Hansal and Grethal theme. I am going to use the inspiration from the 'Brothers Grime' style and take my own photographs in forset parks, sweet shops and places that relate to Hansal and Gretal. I love the style of their work and the tecniques that they use to create their images. At the start I did not no what style to go with but thank you Jamie ur a legend :D. so i think I am going to stick with the hansal and Gretal theme and use the Brothers Grime style for inspiration.