Living Llabyrinth- Building the grid

Building a Large Grid for Installing a Labyrinth: My Process. One reason I write these blog posts is to record my process. The other is to share information.

Constructing a labyrinth grid of this magnitude may seem like a daunting task. And it is for me. With the right strategy, it can be accomplished efficiently. As I embarked on this venture, I took the time to experiment and optimize my methods. Here's a breakdown of the process that was the most efficient.

To begin, gather the necessary materials: X-axis cords measuring 53 at 54' and Y-axis cords measuring 33 at 88' lengths. Keep in mind that the cords come in 100-foot lengths.

I wish I had of planned at 50’ by 100’ bison. The lighter is for singing the ends so they will not ravel. The tape is for tapeing the measured and twist-tied ropes for the installation.

I am making each cord that is a multiple of 5 a white cord. I think this will helpful the day of the installation.

1. X-axis cords: Start by unwinding the hundred-foot cord carefully, ensuring it doesn't become tangled. Here's a handy tip: tie a knot at one end and secure a twist tie next to it. Place the knotted end in a doorway and shut the door on it. This will hold it in place. Then, stick your arm through the middle of the looped cord and slowly unwind it, walking away from the door until it's completely straight.

2. Measure and cut the cord, leaving a few inches to knot and singe the ends to prevent unraveling. Tie another twist tie at the 54' mark. This will serve as the reference cord for measuring all other X-axis cords. Keep this cord secured in the door.

3. Take the leftover cord singe the end and knot it and tightly tie a twist tie inside the knot. Shut in the door with the reference length cord. Measure it against the reference cord and splice it with a piece of the next 100' wound-up cord to measure the 54' length accurately. Now you have a cord to start marking the grid on.

To mark the grid on the first cord—

The dining has been my studio work space. First I covered the 8’ table in a thick paper to protect it. Next I marked every 20” from end to end.

4. Prepare a long table by placing sheets of paper and securing them to the table so they will not slip. Measure and mark on the paper every 20". Lay the cord on the marked paper. To ensure stability, anchor the cord with a heavy object like a case of water.

I used a case of water to weigh down the cords.

Starting from the first knot, and twist tie secure each twist tie tightly along the edge of the table at the 20' marks. Continue tying twist ties until you reach the end of the 54' mark. You may have a little excess cord hanging after the last tie.

The 8’ mark of the table length and the last twist tie. I leave a few inches at the end just in case.

The first piece with every 20” tightly tied with a twisties.

5. Carefully wind up the cord, tape it securely, and mark it as X-axis 54'.

The first grouping of five- 4 red and the 5th white.

53 pieces - completed.

6. Finally, organize the cords by making four red and one white, keeping them grouped together.

The National Wildlife Federation - feature

Partnering with communities, schools, governments, and organizations across the country, the National Wildlife Federation is leading the charge for conservation.

Through their tireless commitment to protecting and restoring habitats, they have managed to breathe new life into endangered species like eagles, deer, elk, bighorn sheep, and whales.

I am deeply proud to have my work featured in the prestigious fall edition of the National Wildlife Federation magazine. It is a true honor to be recognized alongside such incredible conservation efforts.

The Baby Whisperer

“The Baby Whisperer” 30” X 44” watercolor monotype Horses are truly a marvel of sensitivity and emotion. My daughter-in-law recently visited a stable where she used to ride, and while my son shoveled manure for their garden, she had a beautiful moment with one of the mares. Even though she had never ridden that particular horse, it became clear that the horse had been affected by its owner’s recent pregnancy. This experience reminded me that wildlife deserves much more credit than we often give them.

This observation also underlines how crucial it is to build connections with all creatures in order to restore and maintain a healthy ecosystem. I want to express my gratitude to Griffin and Alex for providing a stunning photo that inspired me to reflect on these profound ideas. They continue to motivate me each and every day.

A few weeks later I created two more pieces. One for my daughter-in-law's parents and one for my son.

Baby Whisperer I

Watercolor monotype 30” X44”

Baby Whisperer I ghost print

Watercolor monotype 30” X44”

Baby Whisperer II

Watercolor monotype 30” X44”

Baby Whisperer II ghost print

Watercolor monotype 30” X44”

“Rumblings” the next step

Originally Rumblings was going to be a wall of wild bee portraits, 50/10,000. It is time to start thinking about the next step.

Since I started these in 2019 my knowledge has expanded. It is no longer enough to exhibit the bees as portraits. They are an integral part of a bigger system. In incorporating systems thinking I will arrange the pieces into a 11’ X 25’ work on paper composition, an abstract eco-landscape that holistically balances urban and natural systems.

It will be a composition of twenty-eight 30” X 44” watercolor monotypes from my Rumblings* body of work. The pieces will be installed in a tight grid to reference urban development. Centered in each 30” X 44” piece is an abstract portrait of a wild pollinator.

 

The work will be completed in my studio when the defined space dimensions are finalized. At that time, I will select the portrait pieces and organize them in a systematic manner that works best for the size and shape of the proposed space. I will then transform the individual portraits into the monumental composition of an urban ecosystem that balances manmade and natural systems. To do this, I will add abstracted shapes representing biological systems that pollinators depend on into the blank spaces of the individual works. These marks will be extremely light and delicate, watercolor and pastel. They will be leaf and petal-like silhouettes of birds, vines, blooms, grasses, roots, water, and hooves. These shapes will weave in and out chaotically, connecting the portraits in the urban structured grid and transforming them into an ecologically balanced urban landscape composition.

 

RUMBLINGS* WORKS 2019 — present

 

Expecting a grandchild- sunflower

It is a heart warming privilege to craft something from the heart for two special souls my son Griffin and our precious daughter in law Alex both who have deep ties to nature.

Around each giant sunflower bloom lies bountiful tiny creatures and details designed specifically for their new born’s imagination. Being able share my joy as these parents-to-be anticipate the birth of their little one makes me feel truly honored!

"Baby klement’s Ecosystem"

watercolor and pastel monotype

30" X 44"

Field mouse and American beautyberry

A Field mice enjoying a snack of American beauty berry

Gulf Fritillary caterpillar in the “J” stage of metamorphosis.

Monarch caterpillar, aquatic milkweed, Monarch chrysalis, Purple coneflower, wasp, dragonfly

On a personal note- Griffin and Alex have not picked a name so I think of our future granddaughter as Sunflower.

Symbiosis - Hairy water clover incorporates time and movement

Since the beginning of my artistic journey, I have consistently explored elements of time and movement within both two-dimensional and three-dimensional works. With "Hairy Clover," an element in Symbiosis this exploration takes on another layer of complexity - exploring how the water cycle creates motion that stores carbon, ultimately building the planet's energy.

Marsilea species are an extraordinary group of ferns, displaying a fascinating phenomenon known as nyctinasty - the daily movement of leaf orientation. During daylight hours they reach out to capture sunrays and then at night fold inwards into vertical positions due to pulvinus joints located towards the base of each stalk which adjust based on water flow into motor cells. This adaptation ensures that these plants remain attuned with their environment by regulating transpiration through stomata opening and closing cycles - remarkable!

I have read that this Texas native is endangered in many states. :(

Marsilea vestita, southern water fern

8” X 8”

Ink

The largest Mammal

The eating and Waste Habits of the largest mammal of the greatest numbers on a land mass have the greatest impact on all other life forms. In Texas there are 26,448,193 humans and 10,900,000 cows. Homo sapiens are the most impactful mammal.

In today's society our eating habits define some of us socially and morally. This makes the discussion of eating meat vs. a vegan lifestyle and saving the planet a loaded topic. One of the most important topics of our day triggers emotions that progress bit discussion and block minds. When I find a movie or a book that looks at the topic in a non-threatening, non emotional context I like to highlight it.

The documentary Goodbye Cows looks at the impact of the two consumption models.

If you want to take a deeper dive into the beautiful and complex relationship between ruminants the planet and humans, I recommend the book Cows Will Save The Planet. By Judith Schwartz

On a lighter note in 2015 I was invited to visit a a friends family farm that raises cattle for consumption and regeneration. My friends incorporate methods that mimic nature and manage the cattle’s movement as predators managed herds. This process builds the health of the planet’s soil and tempers climate. .

My rancher friends Lisa and John threw some healthy treats in the back of their pick-up so that I could get some cow close-up.

The photo that inspired Mooove

I had to draw the expressive cows as they contorted, licked and moooved the pick-up clean.

MOOOVE 

4' X 6' c

harcoal, ink pastels,

2015

Below is the drawing. It still makes me laugh.

Rumblings - Agapostemen Virescens

This is part of a large body of work I started in 2019, Rumblings.

I pressed this monotype in 2019. I loved parts of it and not others. In 8/2022 with pastels I addressed the issues that we're not working on. I am pleased with the minute beast.

Agapostemen Virescens

watercolor and pastel monotype

30” X 44”

Little is known about this metallic green eye-catching Agapostemon virescens, a bicolored striped-sweat bee in the family Halictidae. It is commonly found in North America and is the official bee of Toronto. Its metallic green head and striped abdomen make it identifiable

The bicolored sweat bee is a solitary ground nesting bee. Each spring the female will dig a tunnel in an open patch of ground. Off the tunnel will be several branches. After building her nest, the female will gather pollen, take it back to her nest, form it into a ball with a little nectar and place it in one of the branches before laying an egg and sealing off that branch so each egg will have its own “room.” -.backyardecology

Monotype- leafcutter (petalcutter)

Leafcutter (petal cutter) Megachile and the Blanket flower

Watercolor and pastel monotype

30” X 44”

Leafcutter bee flying to its nest just after cutting a petal from the Texas native Gaillardia pulchella aka blanket flowers. They use the petals to protect walls and to seal their nests. In exchange for the petals, the leaf cutter pollinates the blanket flowers bloom. It is one of my favorite relationships in “Symbiosis.”

Rumblings - diversifying and implementing systems thinking.

All living and nonliving matter are connected in form or system. Through my work on “Symbiosis,”  I have witnessed the power of holistic management, also called systems thinking. I can see that Changing our decision making process to consider whole systems and connectedness is the solution to our environmental and social issues. Changing how society thinks is the driving force in my art.

With this new awareness I am inspired to consistently reflect it in my work. I have decided to rethink  “Rumblings,” which began as a collection of monotypes of 50 of the 10,000 bee species. It wasa mono crop of bees. However, you can’t separate the interconnection between bees, humans, or other living organisms and the earth's natural systems. We are all part of the living planet Earth. I will start applying systems thinking to all my installations. “Rumblings ” will celebrate the relationships among a diversity of species up and down the food chain.  I will weave into these pieces the relationships that whisper of Earths biological processes and Physical  and chemical Elements. The connections can be obvious or  subtle, they can be  unmeasurable or invisible. This will be fun.

Green Tree Frog Eggs

We had the first big spring rain the week before Mother’s Day. That Saturday , I stopped in "Symbiosis" to check out the wildlife and chat with anyone visiting the exhibitions. To my surprise, the pond is now a green tree frog nursery. The trough pond is surrounded by tall native plants that tree frogs love. I have not seen the green tree frogs since last year, I thought I heard them one night few weeks ago. Mother toads and tree frogs have to have water to lay their eggs. I believe tree frogs lay their eggs on limbs where they fall in the water.

Above are a few watercolor monotypes I did of the tree frog.

Symbiosis - Pollack

When I study the areas of the work that visibly support the most wildlife in Symbiosis I often think of the the most notable works of Pollock. I am presently reading The Extended Mind by A.M. Paul. In the chapter on thinking in natural spaces she wrote. - “Nature changed Pollocks thinking - gently tempering his raging in-tensity- and it also changed his art. In New York, Pollock worked at an easel, painting intricate, involved designs. In Springs, where he worked in a converted barn full of light and views of nature, he began spreading his canvases on the floor and pouring or flinging paint from above. Art critics view this period of Pollocks life as the high point of his career, the years when he produced "drip painting" masterpieces like Shimmering Substance (1946) and Autumn Rhythm” the extended Mind by A.M. Paul. I often see Pollockness in “Symbiosis”. This images especially reminds me of his Autumn Rhythm. In “symbiosis” it is winter shelter. This scarlet sage was damaged after the freeze.

Endangered knowledge:The Soul of Humus

I dried some cosmos leaves to us as the coat of a sculpture that is in the works - Endangered knowledge: the Soul of Humus. The piece will be in the #sculpturemonthhouston 2021 exhibit. I started the armature during COVID for the SMH 2020 exhibit, which was postponed. The sculpture looks at the ecological history of the coastal prairie. This texture is perfect #cindeeklementart #endangeredknowledge #coastalprairie #tezasart #houstonart #bioart #environmentalart #cosmos #art #sculpture #bison

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Rumblings - work in progress-

Neonicotinoids disturb bumble bee and flies sleep and ability to know when to forage. It is banned in the EU and not in the US. This isn’t enough, these products used in urban gardens harm bees. Articles like these inspire me to plug on.

I have lost count

I have lost count

artist statements are also works in progress

as it sits

RUMBLINGS

Artist statement

A rumbling in the distance is nature's way to alert living creatures to their environment.

Rumblings is a work in progress, a monumental collection of fifty 30" X 44" watercolor monotypes that draw attention to the endangered knowledge of the 20,000 species of wild bees.

In these works, I carefully manipulate watercolor ink, and solvent into a chaos of infinitely miniscule paint particles. The materials are interconnected across the over-size monotypes, paralleling the synergistic, aqueous effects of the untold bee species' magnetic attraction to golden dust and their corresponding fragility due to the applied chemicals that flood residential gardens and industrial agriculture. Closely studying their exceptional ability to buzz and pollinate with their exceptional pollen-adhering bodies, I use abstraction and zoom in to depict the organized mayhem of their movements.

The installation of Rumblings inspires curiosity, alerting all viewers to pay attention, asking them to consider the unintended consequences of their actions in our-interconnected micro ecosystems. It is a resounding call to decrease pesticide usage, provide habitats for nesting, and plant native indigenous plants providing nectar for the bees that are responsible for 70% of the foods we eat.

What I do not know is when and where they will be installed, when that is in the picture I may find ways to connect the pieces visually. That will have an impact on the statement. Until the plant beautiful native plants.

There are bees that have not been seen since the 60’s that are not listed as endangered.

The beauty of a leaf runs deep.

How beautiful droplets of dew or rainwater puddle on the waxy leaf surfaces? They provide the watering holes for nature’s tiniest creatures.🐞🐛🕸️🦎🐌🐸🐜🦋🐝

What do you see when you see a leaf? ☘️🌿🌱🍀

I see a unique natural system. Leaves multi-functioning as micro reservoirs, coats of armor protecting the soil, and micro floodgates slowing rainwater. 💦🌊💧

On the Coastal prairie, leaves function to protect the soil from being compacted by the pelting raindrops. If the heavy raindrops fall is not broken by layers of leaves and organic matter, the tiny cavities in living soil collapse, and rainwater moves horizontally across our landscape instead of into the tiny reservoirs in the soil. We need these small cavities to allow water to penetrate deep into the soil. Leaves also slow rain droplets giving the soil time to transport the rain to its deepest roots. Once the rain is in the ground cooling our planet leaves protect the soil from the heat of the day. This multilayered ground cover gives rain more time to trickle into the aquifer. Purifying our water and cooling our planet. How amazing are leaves? As an artist my how we see urban landscapes

My work records endangered knowledge to the collective memory and reimagines urban landscapes to holistically balance the needs of humanity and wildlife.

In Symbiosis I am stretching my practice and creating a living piece of site-specific art activism that will reimagine a 53.5’ X 48’ traditional urban landscape/sculpture garden and answer the question: how do we holistically restore an ecological balance in Houston? Symbiosis is a collaboration with Lawndale Art Center’s community, neighbors, urban wildlife, and the coastal prairies carbon cycle. #symbiosis #lawndaleartcenter #urbanlandscapes #artadia #coastalprairie #water #leaves #conservation art #bioart #nature #contemporaryart #modernart #artactivism #cindeeklementart #texasart #houstonart

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Symbiosis- fluffy bluestem

Through art, I am finding new ways to see Houston’s urban landscapes. The bushy bluestem is a coastal prairie native and a volunteer at Lawndale art center, the location of my 2021 site-specific sculpture installation.

For creating movement and living soil, bushy bluestem is a fabulous material to consider. At this point, I do not know if it will make the cut of materials for the sculpture; however, it does have some attractive characteristics as a material for living soil, and aesthetically I think it is beautiful. The spikelets of silky feathers curl out of a sphere of fine hairs. It is tall and graceful, peering five feet off the ground. In my mind, I can see a cluster of them suited in costumes of golden cotton candy swaying across the stage of coastal prairie under the spotlight of our earth's closest star. Their rhythm succumbs to the breeze that sweeps off the coast. They create the perfect; kitchen of seeds for birds and small mammals, cozy nesting materials for birds, winter food for prairie chickens, field sparrows, and juncos. I can hear a symphony of songbirds serenading the morning as butterflies flit, and flingle and native bees start their day. With close inspection and a little luck, you may even discover a Skipper or Satyr larvae starting a new life amongst their stems. #symbiosis #cindeeklementart #livingsoil #sitespecificart #texasart #bushybluestem #houstonart #texassculpture #contemporaryart #nativebees #bees #wildlife #livingsoil

Changing how we see urban landscapes in Houston.

Changing how we see urban landscapes in Houston.

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”We see nothing of these slow changes in progress, until the hand of time has marked the long lapse of ages”-Darwin

Darwin’s observance is no longer correct, As we continue to expand our cities we have have ramped up the hand of time, we are fast-forwarding and witnessing evolution. This can be good or it can be bad. Millions of species going extinct on our watch is not good; there is a benefit to seeing the effect of our actions. This knowledge is power, join me and decide to change the way we see urban environnents, and act accordingly. We can write our own evolutionary script. We can return to protecting natures .

Reimagining urban landscapes- how plants and animals are evolving in cities.is an eye-opener.


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