Reindeer, Finland

Reindeer, Finland.

Kujala Reindeer Farm, Nissinvaaran, Finland - charcoal and chalk on grey paper. 31 x 48cm

Being a farmer's daughter I am quite familiar with ungulates ( cows and sheep) at close quarters. These domesticated and semi-tamed reindeer were very friendly, and so long as there were oats and lichen on hand they remained in the same area so we could observe them. They were very fidgety due to the midges that pester them incessantly, and often broke into a trot to get away from them, circling back to the food again. This made drawing them quite challenging, especially since the midges were attracted to us humans as well!
Always there was this clicking noise as they moved, especially noticeable in the heavier males.
Wikipedia informs me: "The sounds originate in the tendons of the knees and may be audible from ten meters away. The frequency of the knee-clicks is one of a range of signals that establish relative positions on a dominance scale among reindeer. "Specifically, loud knee-clicking is discovered to be an honest signal of body size, providing an exceptional example of the potential for non-vocal acoustic communication in mammals."
The farmed reindeer ( there are very few wild ones now) range free in the woods for over 50ks from the farm and are all tagged. Their horns, meat and skins are all used, and some animals are trained for pulling skis, a popular race.

REINDEER FARM/ KUJALAN POROTILA - www.kujalanporotila.com

When they all walk away - memory helps!

These animals were quite used to humans and knew which bag contained the lichen -  their "chocolate"!

This male had already shed the velvet which covers and nourishes the antlers as they regrow them each year.

That evening I had fun cobbling together a small model using red wax and no tools, just my fingers!

Brown Bears

A quick soft pastel sketch on coloured paper - 24 x 30cm

Brown Bears - Kuntvaara, Northern Finland, near the Russian Border. 

The brown bears were impressive - enormous animals, fat and shaggy ready for hibernation.
Unfortunately the day in mid September when we visited the hide the light was terrible, so I just did a colour sketch in soft pastels on coloured paper to pin down tones, and colours, and the general atmosphere. The animals were really too far away to make detailed drawings without using a scope.
Ravens, gulls and magnificent sea eagles competed for the salmon bait laid out just before our visit.

It was a privilege and an emotional experience to see Europe's largest terrestrial carnivore in the wild.
Absolutely wonderful!

It was clear from their behaviour as they cautiously came out of the woods that they were more afraid of the other bears - and some were huge - than us humans in the hide trying to keep our excitement quiet.

For details for Bear Watching: www.tunnelmamokit.net
 For some better bear photographs click here.

A large male

A female anxious as she had her cub nearby

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The female leaving with her cub following, as soon as the big males appeared - note the salmon bait on the pine trunk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes from an exhibition. Sarteano, Italy. August 24th - 27th, 2017

GUEST BLOG
Janet Harris - Ed.

2017. The time of the internet and virtual reality, why bother to have an exhibition?

For the past 6 years Anne has been coming to Sarteano to exhibit her work in a small gallery in  the heart of the ancient town.  The event lasts from 4 to 6 days and entails physical and mental effort - worry that no-one will come, and no-one will buy.  But ... and there is a big but, she returns every year and loves it.

Her wish is to sell a bronze, just one, but in monetary terms that will cover her costs for expenses and her stay and the cost of its manufacture. 

The exhibition opening 

The paintings are hung,  the bronzes are in place and we wait for the masses to arrive.

The gallery is owned by John and Umberto who live in Sarteano and many of the people who come to the opening are from their extensive network of friends, people who have holiday homes here, friends who have businesses in Sarteano, and locals.  There are also those who know Anne's work from other exhibitions. 


Later. . .  . .

The art appreciation has moved out of the gallery and into the street...

A good evening with chat, wine, talk and some art bought.




Why does Anne do this?

For Anne the event is not about money.  One reason is obviously PR, more people can see her art, but it is the opportunity where those who are interested can meet the artist.  Anne hopes that by talking to her others can understand more about art.  The personal rapport between herself and her interlocuter can be transferred to the art work, where they can know the story behind the work, and recognise the creative process that leads to it, which in turn leads to a better appreciation of the work.

She reassures me that she does not talk about herself all the time.  The exhibition is not about her ego, but it is about doing something valuable, partly a desire to let others know what drives an artist to create, but also to try and foster an appreciation of the art itself.  For Anne being an artist can be many things, and the meeting at the exhibition allows people to find a point of contact between themselves, the art work and the person who created it.  She can communicate her fascination of what she does in words as well as by the image that she has created, and she gets a kick out of the social process when she realises that a connection has been made. 

'Everything has my heart in it, and I am passionate about it.  If my heart is not in it, it does not come out right'.



Day 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friends of friends  from Australia ....

" Irene with Elisa's cat, Stazzema)"
("Irene con la gatta di Elisa, Stazzema")
Pastel on paper.

Cats inside the gallery ...

Cats outside the gallery that arouse more interest from the locals.