Little Blue Blog - Bryony Harrison
Bryony Harrison
Little Blue Hut Resident Artist from 1 April to 13 May 2009
posted 8 May 2009
It was lovely to meet some of the people who have been reading my blog on Wednesday - the hut was open to visitors and what is usually a peaceful day for me at the hut became a social experience. Strangely it was also one of my more productive days - perhaps because I didn't get seduced by the scenery and instead found myself more focussed. I met some other local artists and have found out more about what's happening locally in art circles.
The image I have submitted this time is one of my experimental orchid prints.
Bryony
posted 5 May 2009
The weather has been extremely kind to me - thankfully as on the few occasions that it has rained, the hut gets chilly! In the April sunshine I've casually watched the days flow by in the hut and now I need to get into the nitty gritty of my work or else face the prospect of not finishing my projects before the time is up!
I have been looking into the beautiful balance of evolution and studying imagery associated with orchids - bee orchids to be specific. They're unquestionably beautiful and it's easy to produce a work of art that I'd gladly put on the wall in the spare bedroom but I'm trying to make a meaningful statement about the way a bee might see an orchid - I didn't know until recently that a bee can see into the UV spectrum so we can't really get an idea of what a bee perceives. It's this perception that is all important to the orchid though because as long as the bee orchid can fool the bee into thinking it isn't an orchid but a female bee then the bee will attempt to mate with the flower and realise the flowers ambition to spread its pollen. The orchid may not have to become an exact copy of the female bee, it simply has to be similar enough that the bee is fooled. As for humans, we can't look at what the bee sees so we're not in a position to judge how easily fooled the bee may be - we can't assume that an orchid that has only partly developed a resemblance to a female bee wouldn't also be successful meaning that this example doesn't dismiss evolution, it is simply another example of it working harmoniously. For more information about bees, evolution and theories about religion you could look here: http://richarddawkins.net/
posted 23 April 2009
Each morning as I reach the brow of the slope at Tankerton I note that I'm still excited at the prospect of the view unfolding beneath - I love the anticipation - for some reason even though you know what the weather is, you're never quite sure how the sea will look - is it still or rough, clear or misty? Both are equally beautiful; the hazy pale blue of the sea on a misty morning is breathtaking and in the sunshine the sea glimmers - each morning it's all mine - later of course you can all share it with me - but for those few minutes I savour the panorama as my special treat.
I've enjoyed allowing the beach inspire some of my work though I've also been researching some evolution/religion theories. I will shortly be exhibiting some of my work in the Pharmacy Gallery in Margate (date TBC) the theme is Perception - I'm interested in the way that (some) creationists and atheists perceive the same evidence in different ways. There are some orchids that mimic the shape and scent of a female bee in order to invite the male bee to copulate - in the process the male collects pollen and deposits it in the next flower. The orchids have got this process so well tuned that they even flower just before the female bees are on the wing. The intelligent design theorist sees this as proof that an intelligent designer (the Christian God) purposefully designed both insect and flower because the process works so successfully it couldn't have happened by chance. The Darwinist atheist however sees that the orchid has simply developed step by step to take advantage of the bees misunderstanding - each successful generation passing on successful genes to its offspring. Plants that for whatever reason don't attract the bee to carry the pollen fail to reproduce, meaning the genes for mimicry of the bee shape and scent live on to fool more male bees. But, argue the intelligent design theorists, that can't be true because an orchid wouldn't be very successful in those early stages before it had reached the stage of looking exactly like a bee. However, say the Darwinists - the orchid only has to fool a bee, not a human, the male bee is likely to see a very different image from that a human sees, don't judge them by your own capabilities - they're not so bright, an appendage that looks a little bit like a female might be enough to tempt it; to dupe a male bee during mating season isn't perhaps as hard as you perceive. 
I could go on - but I just wanted to let you know why I've been painting orchids. The new photos you see here are mono-prints using imagery from in seaweed found on the shingle beach.
Bryony
posted 14 April 2009
It is probably true that the person who needs a little peace and quiet the most is a busy mother of young children - this blogger is just that and has been given a fantastic opportunity for peace and quiet within the Little Blue Hut. Of course it isn't that simple - without my wonderful step-daughters doing a fabulous job of looking after and entertaining my children I wouldn't be able to make anything of this good fortune but because they're here I'm able to spend many free hours getting in touch with my creativity.
I'd forgotten what it was like to be alone with my thoughts. The beach at Tankerton from the Little Blue Hut is a haven of peerless solitude - in our recent splendid weather I've been walking up and down the shingle beach, sighing at the changing features of the sky, sketching the passers by and the shoreline and photographing a myriad of colourful beach huts. Already it feels like summer and my holiday is stretching ahead of me... five more weeks still seems like a long time!
My art has not been neglected; in a family home the dining table is not a good substitute for a studio, particularly not if the children are prone to experiment with art too! No artist in her right mind would share her charcoal/drawing ink/acrylic paint with her two and four year old children! So, to have space to spread out (even if it is just a small space) and not have to have everything on a high shelf is one more luxury for this blogger who is getting most enthusiastic about all the things she is suddenly able to achieve!
Bryony
Disclaimer: please note that views and opinions expressed in artists' blogs are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those held by Canterbury City Council.
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