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This amazing Mesolithic site has inspired me to create a haunting work of art that seeks to express the tension between our imaginings of times past, and our scientific knowledge of the same.
Star Carr, 45x36, ©lesliepetersonsapp
Star Carr- what a groovy name.
A carr is a British term for a swamp. I had to look it up.
A carr is a British term for a swamp. I had to look it up.
According to Google Maps, there is Star Carr Lakes fishing pond and Star Carr fish hatchery, and the Star Carr Cottages. But, about 30 miles north, there is Star Carr, the famous Mesolithic archeological site.
What Is the Mesolithic Era?
It’s the Middle Stone Age.
Not helpful? How 'bout this?
It is a period of time between the Ice Age and the Agricultural Revolution. So, it’s the time between when people were nomadic and when people started to farm in permanent settlements. During the Mesolithic, people were what would be called semi-nomadic, with sites they would return to cyclically as the seasons revolved and resources presented themselves.
Not helpful? How 'bout this?
It is a period of time between the Ice Age and the Agricultural Revolution. So, it’s the time between when people were nomadic and when people started to farm in permanent settlements. During the Mesolithic, people were what would be called semi-nomadic, with sites they would return to cyclically as the seasons revolved and resources presented themselves.
This era occurs at different times in different parts of Eurasia.
In the Middle East, it’s roughly 15,000- 8,000 BCE.
In Europe it’s 10,000- 5,000 BCE.
Reconstruction of a Mesolithic house ©David Hawgood
All other areas of the world, we have different terms to describe this transition, and in some parts of the world, this transition never occurred at all.
During the Paleolithic, or Ice Age, glaciers covered most of northern Europe. So, during the Mesolithic, glaciers were melting like crazy, and there was water everywhere. (In fact, Britain was still part of mainland Europe, via a now submerged land mass we call Doggerland- but more on that another time!)
Star Carr was on the edge of a huge glacial lake. People returned to this site again and again over hundreds of years. Over time, this large lake shrank, became a marsh, then a peat bog, and now farmland.
What Makes Star Carr So Special?
The Mesolithic Age in northern Europe is hard to track. It’s difficult to locate artifacts from this place and time, because:
1. People were on the move, so they didn’t have a lot of stuff.
2. Much of what they made was from organic material. Think bone, willow branches, hides, wood, reeds. Think of a marshy environment and what resources that would provide.
3. Northern Europe is wet, and a lot of the soil is acidic. So, much of what these people left behind has rotted away.
1. People were on the move, so they didn’t have a lot of stuff.
2. Much of what they made was from organic material. Think bone, willow branches, hides, wood, reeds. Think of a marshy environment and what resources that would provide.
3. Northern Europe is wet, and a lot of the soil is acidic. So, much of what these people left behind has rotted away.
Artifacts and remains are well preserved in either dry environments (think of all those mummies in Egypt) OR in low-oxygen environments… like deep in the mud of a marsh. Or peat.
Life on the Lake
Reconstruction of the western platform ©Marcus Abbott
Season after season, people returned to their camp on the edge of this marshy lake. The lake didn’t have a true edge to it, but had an indistinct, marshy shore. So they created a “platform” out of wood. Only there are no pilings, they just laid a bunch of logs on top of each other.
This is so they could access the deeper water of the lake more easily.
Year after year, when the logs settled into the lake bed, they would add more logs on top.
This is so they could access the deeper water of the lake more easily.
Year after year, when the logs settled into the lake bed, they would add more logs on top.
In and amongst these logs are a very high concentration of tools and animal remains.
But this platform was not only used for lake access. It was clearly a place for ritual as well.
But this platform was not only used for lake access. It was clearly a place for ritual as well.
Composite photograph of brushwood from Clark’s 1951 excavations ©David Lamplough
The Waters Edge
Water is sacred. Water is Life.
Everywhere around the world, there is evidence of people ritually depositing objects into bodies of water, like pennies into a wishing well.
Everywhere around the world, there is evidence of people ritually depositing objects into bodies of water, like pennies into a wishing well.
Dozens of headdresses, or “frontlets” have been found deep within the peat at Star Carr, fashioned from the skulls of red deer, their antlers still attached.
The tops of the skulls were separated, hollowed out and smoothed. Two holes, probably for straps, were bored through. The antlers were trimmed, and halved lengthwise to reduce weight.
It’s stunning to me that over 6000 years ago, people like us, living by this lake that is no longer a lake, made these headdresses, and placed them into the water for their gods, and then in 1951 somebody dug them up and now we have them to gaze upon and wonder.
Star Carr Archaeology Project sc15video70
My Process with Star Carr
My development of Star Carr is new and different for me in that I have two panels, one on top of the other.
Although I have displayed diptychs and triptychs before, the vertical format is new territory.
Also, the two panels are of dramatically different sizes: the upper is 36x36, the lower 9x36.
Although I have displayed diptychs and triptychs before, the vertical format is new territory.
Also, the two panels are of dramatically different sizes: the upper is 36x36, the lower 9x36.
In the upper panel, I attempt to depict what I imagine the experience might have been like during the time these frontlets were fashioned. The moment when a group of people, people just like us, created this magical object, and deposited it into the life-giving waters of the lake they relied on for sustenance.
In this panel, you can see the semi-submerged log platform, the shining moon above, and an ethereal red deer regarding us by the waters edge.
I imagine the large, hovering frontlet as maybe the spirit of the red deer, with whatever magic was attributed to it, gazing at us, watching over us, maybe threatening us, we just don't know.
In this panel, you can see the semi-submerged log platform, the shining moon above, and an ethereal red deer regarding us by the waters edge.
I imagine the large, hovering frontlet as maybe the spirit of the red deer, with whatever magic was attributed to it, gazing at us, watching over us, maybe threatening us, we just don't know.
As is often the case, I felt compelled to use a ruler and create a geometric underpinning, or underlying lines.
(This is one of the eccentric compulsions I have, that I am lately embracing, rather than attempting to diminish!)
After going a while with the upper panel, I started to experiment with mock-ups for the lower.
In contrast to the upper panel, where I imagine what the creators of the frontlets may have experienced, I want the lower panel to show our current relationship to the site, and the wonder of finding the remnants of the people living there. The lower panel is below the upper one to represent how we find these vestiges underground, in the Earth.
In contrast to the upper panel, where I imagine what the creators of the frontlets may have experienced, I want the lower panel to show our current relationship to the site, and the wonder of finding the remnants of the people living there. The lower panel is below the upper one to represent how we find these vestiges underground, in the Earth.
Star Carr, Lower Panel, 9x36 ©lesliepetersonsapp
The lower panel has many images, printed on various papers and collaged over one another.
Star Carr was discovered in 1947 by an amateur archeologist, John Moore. He started to dig around, and when he realized the significance of the site, he contacted Professor Grahame Clark at the University of Cambridge. Clark excavated from 1949 to 1951. This is a picture of him at the excavation, where he discovered the intact log "platform."
Image: Grahame Clark at the 1951 excavation. ©Scarborough Archaeological and Historical Society
Image: Grahame Clark at the 1951 excavation. ©Scarborough Archaeological and Historical Society
I reversed the picture of him and tinted it blue.
Next, I used a composite photograph of his discovery of the log platform. I am impressed by how difficult it must have been to take these images. Now we just send up a drone. Back then they had to build platforms above, and a very skilled photographer would clamber up, lie on their stomach, and shoot each picture. Later it was stitched together to create this.
Next, I used a composite photograph of his discovery of the log platform. I am impressed by how difficult it must have been to take these images. Now we just send up a drone. Back then they had to build platforms above, and a very skilled photographer would clamber up, lie on their stomach, and shoot each picture. Later it was stitched together to create this.
Composite photograph of brushwood from Clark’s 1951 excavations ©David Lamplough
I printed these images with a blue cast as a base.
Archeological science keeps evolving, and the latest excavations at Star Carr have produced a wealth of highly detailed information!
©Star Carr Project, CC BY-NC 4.0
The information gained is presented in dozens of ways, each with a particular aspect of knowledge meant to be communicated.
In doing the research for my piece, I became fascinated by the MANY MANY "plans", or schema of the log platforms produced by the Star Carr Archeology Project.
In doing the research for my piece, I became fascinated by the MANY MANY "plans", or schema of the log platforms produced by the Star Carr Archeology Project.
I found the aesthetics of the graphs and schema beautiful.
Here I must thank Dr. Harry Robson, who took time out from what I am sure is a very busy schedule to help me attain permission to use these images. (And by the way- he found THREE frontlets at Star Carr!)
Here I must thank Dr. Harry Robson, who took time out from what I am sure is a very busy schedule to help me attain permission to use these images. (And by the way- he found THREE frontlets at Star Carr!)
I watched a bunch of videos on the Star Carr Project YouTube channel, and got to see archeologists actually lifting frontlets out of the mud! I couldn't resist! I took screenshots, ran them through various photo manipulations. I printed it out on tracing paper, and glued it over the image of the blue log scatter.
Star Carr, Detail, Lower Panel, 9x36 ©lesliepetersonsapp
Art has a unique power to hold paradox. It can convey enigmatic meaning that will elude common speech.
I seek to express the tension between our imaginings of times past, and our scientific knowledge of it.
To hold as one these seemingly opposite stances makes our understanding more rich and meaningful.
I seek to express the tension between our imaginings of times past, and our scientific knowledge of it.
To hold as one these seemingly opposite stances makes our understanding more rich and meaningful.
Resources and Cool Links
I want to thank Patrick Wyman and his wonderful podcast Tides of History for introducing me to Star Carr. Episode about Star Carr HERE.
I'd like to thank Dr. Harry K. Robson, Postdoctoral Research Associate at The University of York for his assistance with this blog entry, and for helping me to understand image permissions for the artwork.
Star Carr has a wonderful website devoted to it, The Star Carr Archeology Project.
Finds from Star Carr can now be seen in four museums: The British Museum, the Yorkshire Museum, the University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at Cambridge and the Scarborough Museum.
I'd like to thank Dr. Harry K. Robson, Postdoctoral Research Associate at The University of York for his assistance with this blog entry, and for helping me to understand image permissions for the artwork.
Star Carr has a wonderful website devoted to it, The Star Carr Archeology Project.
Finds from Star Carr can now be seen in four museums: The British Museum, the Yorkshire Museum, the University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at Cambridge and the Scarborough Museum.
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I just got back from my Dream Vacation That is Not a Vacation.
My journey into the caves.
My journey into the caves.
Bison sculpture, 15,000 BCE
I and 10 other people, some artists, some not, gathered in the Dordogne Valley, France.
The Dordogne Valley has one of the highest concentrations of Paleolithic art in the world.
With the guidance of Dr. Carol Aalbers, we had special, personalized tours in multiple caves containing Paleolithic paintings.
But we didn’t just go visit the caves. We then took time to process what we experienced together using art, movement, and dream exploration.
But we didn’t just go visit the caves. We then took time to process what we experienced together using art, movement, and dream exploration.
The Caves
I toured five caves, plus a rock shelter.
I realize that I am an artist who blogs, not a travel blogger, so I will simply tell you which caves I visited, then talk about the impact they had on me.
By the way- photography is not allowed inside the caves, so I am showing images I have pulled off websites devoted to the caves.
I realize that I am an artist who blogs, not a travel blogger, so I will simply tell you which caves I visited, then talk about the impact they had on me.
By the way- photography is not allowed inside the caves, so I am showing images I have pulled off websites devoted to the caves.
Aurochs Paintings in Lascaux IV
Me at the Lascaux interactive museum.
Lascaux Cave is one of the most impressive and famous Paleolithic art caves in the world. Its so famous that it had to be closed to the public- the breath of so many visitors deteriorated the paintings. So, several replicas have been made. Lascaux is the only cave I saw on this trip that was a replica.
Although the replica is truly impressive, being in the actual caves is incomparable.
Below are the four real caves I got to see.
Below are the four real caves I got to see.
I also got to see Cap Blanc, which is an “abri,” or rock shelter that has relief carvings. They were probably also painted, but the pigment has been worn away over time.
Cap Blanc
A Profound Experience
Imagine going underground into a cave. The atmosphere is totally different than the world above. It’s cool, it’s dark, it’s damp. You shuffle along with your tour companions, contemporary human beings with backpacks and rain jackets.
Pech Merle hand print, 18,000 BCE
Then, suddenly, you see the outline of a human hand, created by a person holding their hand up to the rock, and blowing liquid pigment, leaving a negative hand-print.
Imagine you knew the person who made that print has been dead for 20,000 years. And here you are, looking at it. It looks fresh and new, like the person pressed their hand to that rock the day before.
Now, imagine not just hand prints, but mysterious graphic signs, dots, and beautiful, elegant drawings.
For me, it was an extraordinary, almost mystical experience.
For me, it was an extraordinary, almost mystical experience.
The Artmaking
In between the days saw the caves, we would stay at our B&B and make art. The artmaking was facilitated by Kirah Van Sickle. She guided me through art processes using materials that I am not used to, using colors I wouldn’t normally choose, in a format I’ve never done before.
First, I created two small paintings on paper, using stencils, little sponge rollers, watercolor pencils, collage, and something called a gelli plate, which is a way to make monotypes.
First, I created two small paintings on paper, using stencils, little sponge rollers, watercolor pencils, collage, and something called a gelli plate, which is a way to make monotypes.
Then, we folded up large pieces of paper to make little tiny 3x3 inch books, which we then adorned, using the same materials.
The materials and approach was entirely different than what I normally do, and it brought me away from my routine- and my artistic tricks! I was forced to become more imaginative and loose, and it was a lot of fun.
The Essence of Art
Why do art? Why do I do what I do?
I struggle with making art I describe as "performative," by which I mean, result-oriented. I can easily slide into the territory of doing something for the sake of approval.
So, there’s a tension, because on the one hand, I want to do artwork that’s good quality and appeals to people. But on the other hand, I want to make art that purely authentic and comes from my heart.
Going into those caves and seeing work from artists/shamans from tens of thousands of years ago really brought me into direct connection with the fundamental drive humans have to dream, to communicate, to create and express ourselves. It reminds me that this is my primary missive, sales and accolades be damned.
I struggle with making art I describe as "performative," by which I mean, result-oriented. I can easily slide into the territory of doing something for the sake of approval.
So, there’s a tension, because on the one hand, I want to do artwork that’s good quality and appeals to people. But on the other hand, I want to make art that purely authentic and comes from my heart.
Going into those caves and seeing work from artists/shamans from tens of thousands of years ago really brought me into direct connection with the fundamental drive humans have to dream, to communicate, to create and express ourselves. It reminds me that this is my primary missive, sales and accolades be damned.
Lascaux, ca. 15,000 BCE
I also came away with this idea that my drawing is enough.
The images I saw in those caves were so elegant and sophisticated, yet so simple. Even the “incomplete” drawings had a completeness to them.
The images I saw in those caves were so elegant and sophisticated, yet so simple. Even the “incomplete” drawings had a completeness to them.
I’m a better drawer than I am a painter. I have always felt as though presenting "just drawings" was never acceptable, and that I had to gussy them up with a bunch of paint.
A drawing I did of an Etruscan tomb painting
Are there ways that I could present finished work that features my drawing? Does it have to be anything other than what it simply is?
This trip was a profound experience, and I feel very different. My hope is that this difference will continue to grow in my heart and mind, and that it will inform my artmaking from this time forward.
This trip was a profound experience, and I feel very different. My hope is that this difference will continue to grow in my heart and mind, and that it will inform my artmaking from this time forward.
Now, off to make some art!
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A few years ago, I read an article in Archeology Magazine, called When the Ancient Greeks Began to Write; Newly Discovered Inscriptions Help Explain How Literacy Spread.
It has stuck in my mind ever since, and I have started to create new art piece for my Archeology Art series, inspired by what I learned.
In this new piece, I am combining images from two famous archeological finds, The Cup of Nestor, and an image from The Tomb of the Diver.
In this new piece, I am combining images from two famous archeological finds, The Cup of Nestor, and an image from The Tomb of the Diver.
©lesliepetersonsapp The Cup of Nestor 12x12 Mixed Media
The Cup of Nestor
The Cup of Nestor was discovered in 1954 at what had been an ancient Greek colony in Italy. The cup was probably formed and fired in 750 BC. Some years later, someone scratched letters on it. It is one of the earliest extant examples of the use of an alphabet.
The Cup of Nestor
What is an alphabet?
Totally cool pic of Cuneiform
Writing systems had been around for a long time before that. Around the Mediterranean, it started with pictograms, then moved onto hieroglyphs, then to actual scripts, such as Linear A, Linear B and Cuneiform. But the symbols used in these systems signified entire concepts, words, and then syllables.
The thing that makes an alphabet an alphabet is that it has symbols that indicate consonants and vowels, in other words, smaller sound units. These symbols, or letters, can be used to indicate the sound of a word, not just a concept of a word.
This meant that it could be used to write down poetry, names, anything you like.
This meant that it could be used to write down poetry, names, anything you like.
Before this time, writing was a skill used for very specific purposes, such as rituals or official diplomatic letters. But most of it was used for something that grew in importance as societies became more and more complex: money.
Writing systems were used mostly for accounting and keeping track of trade. How many bushels of wheat, how many amphorae of oil, where did it go and how much money did it yield? Only very particular professionals used writing, and they used it for some very dry, but essential transactions. No one else used writing. Why would they? It was boring.
Numerical tablet, 3500-3350 BC
Along came the Greek alphabet.
Exactly how, where and when it was invented is pretty foggy. But what is clear is that it was developed from a writing system used by the Phoenicians, a sea-faring cluster of peoples living along the coast of today’s Lebanon and Syria. Someone took this writing system and developed it so that the sounds of words could be captured.
It took off like a house on fire. Elite men across the Greek world with its far-reaching colonies and cities started to write. Writing became cool.
It became all the rage.
So, the Cup of Nestor with its scratched inscription was a very early example of this. But what also makes even more it fascinating is that it isn’t just any old inscription, it is a joke.
One of the world’s first recorded jokes.
It’s an inside joke about old King Nestor in the Iliad. It reads: “I am the cup of Nestor, a joy to drink from. Whoever drinks this cup empty, straightaway the desire of beautiful-crowned Aphrodite will seize.”
The actual inscription on The Cup of Nestor
In context, I can almost imagine the scene in which this occurred. This cup is a drinking cup. It would have been used at a symposium.
Today, “symposium” tends to indicate a gathering where elevated ideas are shared, perhaps featuring an enlightening debate or lecture series.
Boring Symposium
Fun Greek Symposium
A symposium in classical Greece did have erudite discussions, music and poetry, but it was also a ribald party where everyone got soused.
This brings me to the image I chose to lay behind my rendition of the cup.
The Tomb of the Diver
The Tomb of the Diver is a coffin-sized tomb in what was a Greek colony in southern Italy, probably created around 470 BCE. It’s made up of five limestone slabs, covered with plaster and painted with frescos.
Along the walls of this small tomb the scene of a symposium is depicted. Beautiful men are laid out on their fancy couches, drinking, talking, playing games- and flirting.
The inscription on the Cup of Nestor is not specific about who the object of desire would be, once the cup was drained.
It may even imply the desire it induced might be indiscriminate.
But the tradition of same-sex love affairs was strong during that time, as is demonstrated by this beautiful painting. Same-sex love in ancient Greece is a huge subject, fascinating in itself, and very very different from how we conceive of and enact same-sex relationships today. But if you were to look up “symposium” in an article or entry, often this very image is associated with it.
My artwork inspired by The Cup of Nestor blends three elements: the alphabet, a symposium, and being seized by the desire of beautiful-crowned Aphrodite.
I don’t want to completely understand or graphically illustrate this moment in time. I want to express the mystery of it. I do this by borrowing images of what remains and combining them together into an eurhythmic, evocative whole.
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A while back, I wrote a blog post called “The Poky Little Puppy” and an accompanying email called “In Defense of the Slow.” I talked about how, at 40 years of age, I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, Inattentive Type. This realization has helped me to better understand some of the challenges I have had in navigating this life.
But ADHD is also closely associated with having a creative mind. Artistic mind, attention deficit disorder, who knows where one ends and the other begins?
Distracted Mind, Artistic Mind
Just like Little Red Riding Hood, my mind is not good at staying on the path. It wanders off and picks flowers, attracted by the next, and the next, and the next more captivating bloom.
I’ve got a terrible memory. I often forget essential aspects of whatever task I am performing. (Recently I set off to buy new glasses, leaving my prescription at home.)
My mind is not organized. Information comes in the form of so many scraps of paper, fluttering about in the wind. Projects or professions that involve any complexity seems like an insurmountable undertaking.
But, I recently learned something sort of fun about my mind, and how it likes to organize itself.
I was trying to develop some sort of regular, consistent, doable habit in regards to posting on social media about my art. “Everyone” was buzzing about social media.
I was trying to develop some sort of regular, consistent, doable habit in regards to posting on social media about my art. “Everyone” was buzzing about social media.
You know, “Everyone," don’t you? “Everyone” says:
And so on, and so on. All that resulted from this was a panicky sense of dread.
- You should post everyday so you can be in good with the “algorithm.”
- Reels are the next big thing. Everyone is doing reels.
- Stories are the thing. You’ve got to do stories.
- First you post, then you share it all over the other “platforms.”
- Every "platform" has specific demands, like on Twitter you can have only four pictures, but Instagram you can have ten. Stories videos are only 15 seconds long, but Reels are 90.
And so on, and so on. All that resulted from this was a panicky sense of dread.
Enter, the Mind Map
Here is all is. I spent hours on this silly thing.
I tried to impress my friends by sharing it with them, but they didn’t even want to LOOK at it, and who could blame them? It seems overly elaborate and faintly ridiculous now, but the one most important thing is also true: now I know.
Now I know. Social media is no longer confusing to me. I may need a reminder of the specifics, but the tiny scraps of paper have settled down into an orderly pattern. Now I understand.
As I just wrote about in my post “Evolve or Die,” I revealed that I am starting on a new body of work, inspired by archeology and deep history. It’s really exciting, and really scary. For the first time in many years, I genuinely have no idea what I am doing. It will be an adventure into the unknown.
I am an avid consumer of archeology media and entertainment. Over the years, I have absently absorbed scraps of information. Over time, these bits of information started to formulate themselves into a loose, fluttery vision of the world.
I became filled with the desire to understand these little scraps in context, in an order, like maybe a mind map… or maybe… a time-line.
I became filled with the desire to understand these little scraps in context, in an order, like maybe a mind map… or maybe… a time-line.
Enter, the Time-line
Fueled with this new obsession, I knew that I was not going to be able to commence on my new journey of art-making without tackling this. I took a large roll of paper, rolled it out on my wall and tacked in down.
I decided on a very general form: seven areas of the planet, drawn with seven horizontal lines. The time demarcations will be the vertical axis. But, I am still not sure what time periods I am going to depict, and where they will land. So, I started to write bits of information I find intriguing on bits of rice paper, and started to tape them up at various places. Everything at this point is in flux and movable.
I feel like a mad scientist.
I decided on a very general form: seven areas of the planet, drawn with seven horizontal lines. The time demarcations will be the vertical axis. But, I am still not sure what time periods I am going to depict, and where they will land. So, I started to write bits of information I find intriguing on bits of rice paper, and started to tape them up at various places. Everything at this point is in flux and movable.
I feel like a mad scientist.
Enter, the Mad Scientist
I have recently learned from The Google that there is a thing called “The Crazy Wall.” It’s a meme, stemming from the media’s dramatic use of an “evidence board” real detectives use to solve crimes. It was used to most dramatic effect in the 2001 movie *“A Beautiful Mind.”
Scene from A Beautiful Mind, 2001
For the first time in a long while, I am creating something that I have no real intention of putting on display or trying to sell. Somehow, I just know I need to do this. I need to capture and contain what I know, but cannot yet use. Something that simply comes out of my beautiful mind.
My beautiful, inefficient, scattered, forgetful, creative, artistic mind.
My beautiful, inefficient, scattered, forgetful, creative, artistic mind.
A video of me about to dive into the time-line.
*Please note that A Beautiful Mind is a movie about schizophrenia, not about a mild case of neurodivergence, like I have. I am using the evidence board in the movie as a symbol for the way I process information, and is not intended to make light of schizophrenia or mental illness and its effects.
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Yes, I love archeology and ancient history.
Whenever I want to relax, I turn on the Science Channel to watch Unearthed, or Mysteries of the Abandoned.
I have two magazine subscriptions (Archaeological Institute of America, and Current World Archeology) and look forward to them like a kid waiting for his Captain Midnight Secret Decoder Ring to arrive in the mail.
I have two magazine subscriptions (Archaeological Institute of America, and Current World Archeology) and look forward to them like a kid waiting for his Captain Midnight Secret Decoder Ring to arrive in the mail.
On my last vacation, I brought books to read and some drawing materials. One book in particular grabbed me and wouldn't let go; The Sutton Hoo Story by Martin Carver. I felt moved to produce drawings inspired by what I learned and saw.
I find myself so fascinated by archeology that, at some point, I may create an entirely new body of work. It's all very speculative, but it is very exciting for me, and I wanted to share it with you now.
I find myself so fascinated by archeology that, at some point, I may create an entirely new body of work. It's all very speculative, but it is very exciting for me, and I wanted to share it with you now.
What is Sutton Hoo?
It's a burial site in England, with many types of burials, from royal barrows to gallows graveyard, dating from the 6th to 7th centuries. They appear as mounds on a flat landscape, next to the River Deben.
There is a really great movie based on a novel, both called The Dig that dramatizes the excavation of Mound 1, where some of the most impressive and beautiful artifacts ever found in Britain were discovered.
But while I like jewels and treasures, it is the dirt and bones that really intrigue me.
My first endeavor was a pencil sketch of the remains in burial Mound 17.
My first endeavor was a pencil sketch of the remains in burial Mound 17.
Mound 17 was an un-looted burial mound whose inhabitant was buried in a tree trunk coffin (how COOL is that?) sometime between 560-650 AD.
Among other things, there were caldrons, weapons, a comb, and the remains of a bridle. In another mound close by, his horse was interred, along with a bucket of oats.
My next sketch was of another, very different type of grave.
After the region had converted to Christianity, this sacred ground, populated with rich burial mounds for esteemed community leaders, was used as a place to execute convicted criminals. A gallows was erected on one of the mounds, and the site is littered with shallow graves of the disgraced and condemned.
But the thing that makes it all the more more fascinating, is that there is actually no body there at all. The acidic soil of the area consumes organic material.
But the body that was once there changes the make-up of the soil, making it dark and crusty. When someone excavates it, they can carefully remove the soil around where the body once was, leaving a fragile "sand man".
It's sad, it's haunting and it's beautiful.
The last piece I produced is a pencil sketch of an idea I have brewing in the back of my brain. My impulse is to layer, somehow, images and inspirations from digs. I would like to create drawings of the finds, and layer them with schematic diagrams and maps, along with my imagined scenarios of the people and objects when they were alive and in use. I may need to learn a new medium, such as encaustic, to gain the effect I want.
This is a rough idea of what I might do. It is a composite image of things from the famous Mound 1. Below the sketch are images from the book that I have woven into the sketch.
Mound 1 was covering a large ship. Within the hull of the ship there was a wooden burial chamber, containing a coffin and body, and many stunningly valuable grave goods. It is one of the most famous archeological finds in history.
But, like the "sand men", the actual ship, chamber, and body have long since dissolved. But the wood of the ships hull, again, changed the make up of the sand, and what was left was a ghostly impression of a ship, along with the corroded iron rivets, in long, graceful, curving lines.
This is a photograph of Basil Brown, standing in the middle of the ship. He was the self-taught archeologist who excavated the un-looted grave in 1938.
The second image here is a schematic drawing archeologists have made, depicting what they believe the original burial chamber within the ship contained.
The third image here is a schematic map of the area, with black dots depicting the location of various burial mounds, and the three hypothetical routes by which the mourners transported the ship from the River Deben, up the bank, to the burial site, to inter the deceased.
I'm really not sure where this is headed. It's very exciting and a little scary.
I will continue with my current series of art based on film noir until it feels right to commence on this new path.
Maybe I never will get to it, or maybe I will start next week.
Stay tuned.
I will continue with my current series of art based on film noir until it feels right to commence on this new path.
Maybe I never will get to it, or maybe I will start next week.
Stay tuned.
- Published on
I'm on vacation, and I'm having a wonderful time. It's a paradise. Beautiful room, white sand beach, gorgeous view.
And yet, I find myself having a difficult time relaxing entirely. I'm relaxing, but not completely relaxed. I find that I am suffering from a case of the "Shoulds".
Here are a list of my "Shoulds":
- I really need to take advantage of my time here!
- I should make a drawing or painting everyday.
- I should keep posting and staying engaged on social media.
- I should NOT post, and disengage completely.
- I should go I to a deep state of contemplation so I can start developing concepts and imagery for my next body of work.
- I should start collecting words and images for my next body of work.
- I should do paintings of the coastline so I can include coastal scenes in my next body of work.
- Furthermore, I should barely eat anything, so I will still feel okay in my bathing suit.
- I should drink less/more.
- I should swim in the ocean.
- I should go for a hike/sample authentic local cuisine/learn to paddleboard...
Get the idea? So much to ponder and worry about.
I heard a while back that the word "should" can be very toxic. It is a good exercise to replace it with the word "want" and see what happens.
Actually, I have done a number of my "Shoulds", because they seemed like fun at the time.
But what have I done mostly?
Mostly, I have gone on a deep dive into some really nerdy books on archeology.
Yes, archeology is my way to relax.
- I have two magazine subscriptions (World Archeology and The American Institute of Archeology Magazine).
- I am a fan of Patrick Wyman's podcast, Tides of History
- I watch archeology themed shows on TV and YouTube incessantly. (My favorite, which is not exactly about archeology, is Mysteries of the Abandoned on Discovery)
So I'm on a geek-fest, learning about how the Proto-Indo-European language, a theoretical language that became extinct around 2500 BCE, was the root from which most of the languages spoken in the world today evolved from.
What can I say? It's what I want to do.
A bibliography of my vacation:
Three Stones Make a Wall, by Eric H. Cline
The Horse, the Wheel, and Language, by David W. Anthony
Tales of Valhalla, by Martin and Hannah Whittock
Beowulf, translation by Seamus Heaney
The Dig, by John Preston
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My husband and I took a trip to a place I've wanted to go for a long time- Greece! We visited mainly Napflio and the Peloponnes Peninsula, the island of Hydra, up to Delphi, then Athens.
Some of you may remember that I love ancient history, and that I did a series of art based on The Odyssey. It was sensational to be in and around the place where The Iliad and The Odyssey was conceived, sung, shared, and eventually written down. In fact, we visited the ancient site of Mycenae, which was the palace complex where Agamemnon himself lived and ruled.
(If you'd like to see some of the inspiring art I saw during my trip to Greece, check out my post on my facebook page.)
Being in Greece lent depth and richness to my understanding of The Odyssey. One experience I had was the realization that my conception of the space and atmosphere was generalized and lacking in sensitivity. It was fanciful, but vague.
The sense I have now is the astounding ruggedness of the place, how rocky mountain slopes charge down and continue deep into the sea.
I also did not have a sense of the palette. These parts of Greece are dry dry dry, and the rocks are pale and crumbly. I suppose the pale rock is part of why the sea is so green-blue.
The artist whom I can think of who really got a great take on what it feels like to be a westerner, idealizing ancient Greece, is Puvis de Chavannes, a French artist active in the late 19th century.
Also, Picasso captured it, perhaps with more individuality and sophistication, in many of his early works:
Although I am committed to doing more Film Noir works for the time being, I am wondering what will transpire if I decide to do more Ancient Literature work in the future. One very inspiring object I saw during my travels is a late Hellenistic funerary urn at the Archeological Museum.
Who knows?
Some of you may remember that I love ancient history, and that I did a series of art based on The Odyssey. It was sensational to be in and around the place where The Iliad and The Odyssey was conceived, sung, shared, and eventually written down. In fact, we visited the ancient site of Mycenae, which was the palace complex where Agamemnon himself lived and ruled.
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| The "Funerary Mask of Agamemnon" from Mycenae, housed at The Archeological Museum in Athens. |
Being in Greece lent depth and richness to my understanding of The Odyssey. One experience I had was the realization that my conception of the space and atmosphere was generalized and lacking in sensitivity. It was fanciful, but vague.
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| "The Land of the Lotus Eaters" Leslie Peterson Sapp |
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| Delphi, Greece |
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| Greece, somewhere between Epidavros and Poros |
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| "The Shepherd's Song" Puvis de Chavannes, 1891 |
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| "Patriotism" Puvis de Chavannes, 1893 |
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| "Young Girls by the Sea", Puvis de Chavannes, 1879 |
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| "Acrobat on a Ball" Picasso, 1901 |
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| "Two Adolescents", Picasso, 1906 |
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| "Boy Leading a Horse", Picasso, 1905-6 |
