helen’s new gallery site
I like the flickr collection but want to provide a clearer overview of my work…although there is still much more to put up here!
Enjoy some work in my gallery on www.hbmacfarlane.com
Tiger, tiger…
In 1995, when I was at the beginning of my art career, my work mainly focused on studies of endangered animals. I chose to show the animals removed from their natural environment, (usually) presented against a plain blue background bringing the subject into stark focus, whilst also reminding us of what has been omitted; the environment which is crucial to their survival. Included in this series of works was “Tiger”, which I had originally planned to be a full study of the head of a Bengal tiger. However, as the work progressed I saw that (for me at least), by simplifying the tiger’s head to a mask had more power, the empty eyes demand attention and seem to ask is this all that will be left of tigers? A memory of something beautiful.
It’s both sobering and saddening that in the sixteen years since I painted this work, despite the many and varied conservation efforts on their behalf, that tiger numbers in the wild continue to fall. These magnificent creatures have as much a right to exist as we do ourselves, please give them your support by signing the petition on: http://www.tigertime.info/
It’s also worth considering why people poach, another topic for another post maybe, but here’s here’s some further reading if you’re interested…
(I’ve also posted on this subject on Facebook, forgive the duplication but I think it’s required.)
Königseder Brewery: A former brewery turned into a home, for the people.
A former brewery turned into a home, for the people.
The Königseder Brewery in Schönegg in the Mühlviertel near the Czech border was a tumbled down old building until it was bought by Heidi and Leo Fuchs-Schmelz. Today, it is a glowing new home, for the family…and the people. Heidi Schmelz-Fuchs and her husband Leo Fuchs, a mason, are opening the almost 300 year old property for other events.
Heidi says that it is not simply a house but is common property. The historical brewery Königseder was built in 1720. Johann Paul Löfler had it built. He came from Bohemia and became rich from the export of linen and textiles. It was turned into a brewery in 1816 and beer was brewed there until 1956 but was still open to beer drinking guests until the beginning of the 80′s. Most of the locals have both fond and sad memories of all the kind of community celebrations which were held there, from weddings to wakes.
The property was badly in need of renovation when Heidi and Leo bought it in 2003. Leo, a professional mason from the region, who is not only an expert but very creative in his work, has invested 20000 hours alone in the 1000 square metres which now stands like a treasure box and can be rented for special events. The old hay loft and dance hall is at present the location of Helen Macfarlane’s exhibition. Heidi envisages the brewery to be the perfect location for events ranging from registry office weddings to open air cinema screenings! The former Königseder brewery would also be perfect as part of the Provincial Exhibition in 2013 with the theme: Hops, Salt and Cyberspace. This will be a cross border project stretching from Freistadt, Bad Leonfelden in Austria to Vyssi Brod, Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic, as the brewery is situated directly “en route” between the towns.
Please download PDF to see newspaper article and photographs!
Christmas in Axbridge.
Every year during the first weekend of December many of the residents of the town are given a small Christmas tree (supplied by the town) which they decorate with lights and display on the front of their homes. Along with the small trees, the square is host to a tall fir which serves as a focus for the many events that take place over the Christmas period. These simple decorations don’t shout out for attention but speak quietly of the warmth and community that thrives here.
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These images were photographed by myself and Graham in 2010 and using photoshop, I’ve given the images the “painterly” quality that is characteristic of the “Impressions” series that I have been producing since 2007. We’ve produced a small run of greetings cards based on the Christmas scenes, the cards are A5 and come in a pack of 10 (2 of each design) for £8.00.
If you would like to purchase some greetings cards please contact us:
ngaio@between-you-and-me.com
helen@between-you-and-me.com
EWMD – A colourful get-together in the Mühlviertel
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I arranged for my friends and colleagues from EWMD (European Women’s Management Development) to visit some colourful places in the Mühlviertel this summer. What started as a local chapter party developed into a national get together and soon became international with the very welcome visit of the International Board, our Chairwomen Uschi Boehle, Kris Hauf and Juliane Chakrabati and some more members and friends from Germany and Switzerland. We started off at Nick Treadwell`s Museum in Aigen-Schlägl in the Mühlviertel which is a breathtaking district surrounded by the Bohemian woods bordering the Czech Republic and Bavaria. The Treadwell collection is enigmatic, compelling and fascinating (see link) and located in the old court rooms and jailhouse of Aigen (Nick has converted the cells to “cosy” guestrooms), well worth a visit as you can see! I then led the small convoy of cars onto the magical mystery tour over the Guglwald to show the splendid colours of the Bohemian woods and sprawling Mühlviertel hills…only trouble was they were covered in fog and it was pouring down, so we could not see a thing. This made my job of opening our get-together and my exhibition at the Königseder Brewery, Hinterweissenbach, even easier as everyone was so relieved to get into the warm and welcoming space of the old dance hall with a glass of prosecco to warm them up. My show started in the old stables where I painted four animal portraits in the grooves of the old hay grids set concavely in the wall which was quite a challenge due to the 3-D effect I was striving for. I put my sheep and chicken portraits in the old hay loft and then 53 small A5 collages in the old dance hall with black and white photo copied enlargements set over the windows making incredibly effective contrasts with the greens from the outdoors and the light shining through. I had wanted to try out the massive wall hanging for many years so this was the perfect opportunity (later and incredible backdrop for the official opening and blessing of the renovated property which I had been unaware of whilst hanging those images!) And then the 53 prints set around the walls in the form of a film strip. I like the small size as it makes the viewer look very close at the image, each one opening up new worlds and a news world as they are all based on photographic material taken from newspapers or documented by myself and then drawn over and developed into small emotional icons. For me it was quite an emotional time hanging those pictures again after 3 years as I could remember each story as if it were yesterday. Such is the power of media and images…I thoroughly enjoyed sharing my world with my EWMD friends and colleagues. Having spent 3 years as the international communications director and 5 years as the national representative it was most fulfilling sharing my feelings through images instead of words….which is such a fascination for me in general.
The cool but refreshing day was crowned with warmth and laughter in the cellars and old stables where we enjoyed a delicious meal, some good wine and fabulous company. And as usual, the exchange of ideas, stories and new ventures were in abundance as the fabulous and colourful adventure was taken in, digested and turned into vibrant energy by and for our exceptional group of colourful women!
Summer 2011 – Show and Wall Paintings at the Königseder Brewery
Here are some impressions of my exhibitions and activities this summer. My show at the impressive Königseder brewery in Hinterweissenbach, Mühlviertel. I had great fun doing the wall paintings in the old horse stables of the brewery and was then given the fabulous opportunity to hang my work in the old ball room and the latest animal paintings in the hay loft. It was a real challenge working with the huge old rooms , the special light and atmosphere with my small icons and collages (A5) which I also enlarged and compiled a huge black and white mural at the front of the room with them. It was also perfect for the large animal paintings in the hay loft – such an incredible ambiance especially on the day of the open house on 19th September when an estimated 750 visitors came! Many thanks to my dear friends and the owners of the brewery Heidi Schmelz and Leo Fuchs for giving me this wonderful opportunity to be a part of such a breathtaking project. The show is still there if anyone would like to see it!
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from riches to rags and at home in both.
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Here is the latest news on my two-location show in Barnstedt, Lower Saxony, at the beginning of July, when the cold wet weather did not dampen the warm atmosphere and spirits of all the visitors. The original plan to show the paintings in the barn as part of the von Estorff family’s celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the Barnstedt Music Association was changed due to the rain. I had made a concept for the barn so had to have a quick rethink due to not being able to knock nails into the precious walls of the old family von Estorff home. The only nail in the wall was used to hang the horse portrait I did for a stables in Upper Austria. The owners had framed it, unbeknown to me, in this great golden frame which not only fitted perfectly in the atmosphere of the stately home with it’s candelabras but also when the minuet dancers in their period costumes performed there too. Almost surreal! The whole day was a buzz with the most talented musicians , the philharmonic quartet Novosibirsk from Caucasia moved me to tears in the little chapel with their performance of Borodin’s 2. String quartet in D-major and Mozart’s piano quartet in G-minor, a young trio of woodwind players, and as mentioned, the group of minuet dancers in period costume performed in the entrance hall to the manor enjoyed by an enthusiastic audience and under the watchful eyes of my portraits. The puppeteer group “Fette Schnecke” (Fat Snail) with Pamela Fleck and Jörg were enjoyed by young and old as was the sing song outside during a slightly less wet interlude, arranged and orchestrated by Annette Brun.
The wonderful wet day was crowned by a freer performance in the 16th Century Chapel by the visiting musicians from Caucasia, a day of colour for all our senses!
Then it was back to the barn – one of my favourite places in Barnstedt!
I took all the paintings and hung them at one end of the 30 metre long barn and really got an overview of my work in Barnstedt so far. The portraits all gazed down at me from the wooden walls where I could hammer in nails to my heart’s content! Most of the animals and person depicted live across the way from the barn! We had a lot of fun and it was very important for me feel my work, which I started in 2009, as one big piece. I am enjoying working on a larger scale with the animals at the moment but intend to carry on with the small portraits until I have captured all 39 sheep, 4 goats and other creatures on canvas and then the next part of the journey will begin. Many thanks to the von Estorff family for their kind invitation to exhibit and warmest of welcomes in Barnstedt.
Next exhibition end of August in the old Schwarzenberger brewery in the Mühlviertel! The “Lieblinge” are already on the road!
update of helen’s flickr gallery
Back in Barnstedt – and back to the barn
So great to be back visiting Hilal and the “lieblinge” (“darlings” which means all the animals here) and continuing with some of the local animal portraits. Some are quite keen to get into the picture.
The sheep have all been shorn and look like a gang of teenagers frolicking on the fields and sunning themselves on the new grass (the bits they have not eaten yet!
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- Once a free-range hen – now simply free to do as she chooses
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- Portrait of Nessy – with Fave-like waiting
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- Can you paint me with a comb like this one
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- Watching the Lieblinge at work
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- Fave in bed
A Grain of Grace for High-tech Hens
For the grace of Spatz
A Grain of Grace for High-tech Hens
Hilal Sezgin
translation
Helen Macfarlane
Many of those who visit me encounter
hens for the first time in their lives. Hens who zealously scratch around under the great elm tree next to my terrace, who contentedly spread their wings in the sun and yet avidly look forward to the rain as it makes the worms leave their earthy retreats. Hens are delightful creatures, who constantly bustle about until they are overcome by a kind of collective midday sleep. They all nestle down in their leafy glade and croon in a way which is homey and soothing, especially to the human ear.
Nothing was provided for the life of these animals from the side of those who ”produced“ them. For the lives of all my hens started in a high-tech company and if you look at their website you will find out that hens are merely products.
”The right hen for every type of farm, the right egg for every market. All products – distinguished through excellent laying peformance, endurance and standards of health“. This is even illustrated with figures: Eggs per beginner hen in 12 laying months 295 – 305. Average weight of egg 63.5 – 64.5g. Shell fracture strength > 35 Newton. Feed conversion 2,1 – 2,2 kg/kg egg mass. Survival during the laying period 94 – 96 Percent.”
These hens are designed for use during a certain period of time when as many eggs as possible should be laid. They are no longer seen as creatures with any mentionable genetic differences but owe their existence to an extreme economic imperative, oriented by (in)breeding. Tests are made concerning how much light and what feed the hens should have in which week of life to guarantee top egg-laying performance. Company owned laboratories produce vaccinations for “typical supply agents“ and immediately sell these world wide. The Lohmann company, from where my chickens originate, is actually the daughter company of the Erich Wesjohann Group – the world market leaders of laying hens.
After a year, the egg-laying performance drops under a certain percent and the high performance hens then have to take the path this time laid by the farming industy board. There are teams of workers who are specialized to go from farm to farm and to capture the hens to take to the slaughter house in the middle of the night when they are sleeping. Recently this job was advertized as ”chicken catchers“. During the panic and hunt of the night, some of the hens manage to hide themselves and, every year, I collect these hens from such an egg farm.
That’s when they don’t look like real hens anymore. Their feathers are sparse, their combs and faces are pale; they suffer from diverse organ damage and often have chronic inflammation of the fallopian tubes. There is nothing healthy about these animals. I have driven several times with individual cases to the Veterinary University of Hannover and the doctor on duty stood there shaking her head, completely horror-stricken. These animals were bred by their ”producers“ in such a way that they (or 94 or 96 % of them) manage to survive a year. Hens from old laying breeds can live to a good age but the new high-tech hens do not stand any chance of a healthy life, at all.
Spatz: After - a life worth...
Lohmann’s laying hens are sold worldwide, from Mexiko, Libya and Japan. That means that the hens which scratch under my elm tree are related to hens all over the world. That means ultimately, that
small farmers everywhere are being forced into factory farming, and laboratory bred hens replace old and sturdy breeds of chickens.
Spatz before: the price of a cheap egg.
And with it the consumer gets so used to buying a cheap egg for breakfast and forgets the true price the hen pays for this.
Click here for Original German text in the Berliner Zeitung
