an artist's residency - some thoughts and ideas from paul goodrick's sketchbook at tweede natuur

tweede natuur

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what is "second nature", anyway? to know, to feel instinctively, to have a sort of insight that neither science nor industry penetrates, but art has possibilities

the forest here can be dark and oppressive, with the trees like black arrows piercing the tangled undergrowth, but then there is a shaft of sunlight, a scent of pine.

started to snow unexpectedly, but worked on. frame for cube not formal enough

I am shaping sticks with an axe; I press my cheek against the cool wood as I strike a blow. it has a strange music. my mind turns to the sounds of a crow, a blackbird and another birdsong I do not recognise. I hear an acorn fall from a turkey oak; it hits the leaves and they rustle down. this is domed by the distant roar of traffic, but the forest has an overiding silence about it

sometimes we have to break or discard things to see their inner beauty - this is not at all what I set out to make this morning. chance can play an important part in art. the colours and texture inside an elder tree are astonishing

made a frame to go round the "elders" sculpture today, but decided it didn't work at all, so I might use it for something else

went to antwerp today and was inspired by michaelangelo pistoletto's cittadellearte exhibition. division is the key to increase in nature and it made me pleased that I had done this with the "elders" sculpture by tree splitting, only I had a mirror image - even clones are different

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