Flatlas

For several millennia, flat earthers have been without strong support for their worldview and now, finally Flatlas is here. The figure of Flatlas, a mythical cousin of Atlas, kneels on an orb and balances a flat earth map above his head.

Flatlas, copper, clay and  wood
Flatlas, copper, clay and wood

Inspired by art history and ancient myths and legends, Flatlas, is constructed from air dried clay, painted with fake copper paint. Balanced precariously above his head is a hand etched and weathered real copper engraving of a world map. Flatlas is supported by a reclaimed wooden post and he sinks into a turned globe giving an inversion of the traditional Atlas sculpture.

Flatlas, copper, clay and  wood
Flatlas, copper, clay and wood
Flatlas, copper, clay and  wood
Flatlas, copper, clay and wood

Flatlas is being exhibited in the Ashburton Society of Arts 60th Annual Exhibition at Ashburton Art Gallery from 1-26 July 2024.

Non-flat Earth (#2)

Non-flat Earth, papier-mâché, approx 50 x 50 x 50 cm

Myths and legends tell the story of a flat earth traveling through the heavens supported on the backs of elephants and a turtle. Same here, but with a roundish earth.

There are some conspiracy theories floating around suggesting that the Earth is flat. I have traveled around the world and observed that it is in fact round. Well, roundish.

Hindu mythology has the earth supported by elephants or a tortoise/turtle or both or a snake. North America has a legend of a ‘Great Turtle’, which upholds the Earth.

Combining the facts with the legends, I have recreated this model of the Earth. A Non-flat Earth is based on Non-flat Earth Unpainted, but with a hand made globe, in a different medium – papier-mâché, and painted this time.

The book of Job in the Bible says the Earth is suspended over nothing.

He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;
    he suspends the earth over nothing.

Job 26:7. NIV

While this lines up with the science, my globe has to rely on the backs of elephants and a turtle for support.

Non-flat Earth was entered in the Ashburton Society of Arts 58th Annual Exhibition and could be viewed (and purchased $900) at the Ashburton Art Gallery from 5-29 July 2022.

Small Worlds

Small Worlds, Acrylic, aluminum foil, wood, air dried clay on reconstructed canvases, 13x13cm

Small World North

Small World North, Acrylic, aluminum foil, wood, air dried clay on reconstructed canvas, 13x13cm

Small World South

Small World South, Acrylic, aluminum foil, wood, air dried clay on reconstructed canvas, 13x13cm

Small World Stewart

Small World Stewart, Acrylic, aluminum foil, wood, air dried clay on reconstructed canvas, 13x13cm

With the recent pandemic and lockdowns travel globally has been limited. This has been hard on Kiwis who love to travel the globe and occasionally bump someone they know from home. They establish their common connections and exclaim “Small World!”.

And also during some of the travels of my life, I have met people who have not travelled very far from where they were born. Sometimes you hear of people who have spent their entire lives living and working on a bridge in a European or Asian city, or had never left the small village they were born in. Their worldview is often small.

These globes are for the travel-challenged.

Small World North, Small World South and Small World Stewart were entered in the Ashburton Society of Arts 58th Annual Exhibition and could be viewed (and purchased) at the Ashburton Art Gallery from 5-29 July 2022.

The world is falling apart

Just over a year ago, I created Non-flat earth (unpainted), a sculpture of a model of the earth that combined facts and legends of how the earth is supported.

The world is falling apart, photograph of a sculpture previously known as Non-flat earth (unpainted).

The foundations are crumbling and decaying which is kind of appropriate with the laws of thermodynamics and the current global pandemic.

However, there is hope.

‘They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. ‘

Isaiah 61:4 https://my.bible.com/bible/111/ISA.61.4

‘Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ‘

Revelation 21:1 https://my.bible.com/bible/111/REV.21.1

I could repair the sculpture. Or leave it to decay further. Or build a new one.

As the (unpainted) title of the original sculpture suggests the work is not finished. It was a prototype for further work and could have been painted to fit more with the ancient legends. My procrastination has given this sculpture an opportunity to express itself its own way.


Post about the creation of the original sculpture:

Sofa Safari

Exploring Furniture in the Wild

Over the last 18 months, as I walk around the neighborhood, I often see the furniture that has been abandoned or has escaped domestic confines and is now residing on the streets or in the fields.

Couch family
Couch family, digital photograph

In fact, all over Turkey, I see wild furniture. I’m searching for the most elusive varieties of furniture – the avian and the aquatic. Maybe one day I will be lucky enough to see some furniture flying or swimming or even just resting beside a waterway or in a tree or on a rooftop.

Join me on a Sofa Safari

Sofa Safari Poster, digital image
Sofa Safari Poster, digital image

View the whole series on Flickr

Street couch
Explore my series of photos of Wild Furniture sightings on Flickr

Non-flat earth (unpainted)

There are some conspiracy theories floating around suggesting that the Earth is flat. I have traveled around the world and observed that it is in fact round. Well, roundish.

Hindu mythology has the earth supported by elephants or a tortoise/turtle or both or a snake. North America has a legend of a ‘Great Turtle’, which upholds the Earth.

Combining the facts with the legends, I have created this model of the Earth.

Front, non-flat earth (unpainted)
Front, non-flat earth (unpainted), mixed media
Back, non-flat earth (unpainted)
Back, non-flat earth (unpainted), mixed media
Face, non-flat earth (unpainted)
Face, non-flat earth (unpainted), mixed media
Back detail, non-flat earth (unpainted)
Back detail, non-flat earth (unpainted), mixed media

The book of Job in the Bible says the Earth is suspended over nothing.

He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;
    he suspends the earth over nothing.

Job 26:7. NIV

While this lines up with the science, getting my globe to suspend itself over nothing is rather challenging.

I’m currently reading a book called The World is Flat. [affiliate link]

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Flight to Egypt

I looked out the window and there were three types of light sources of increasing power. On the ground below were man-made city lights. On the horizon were flashes of lightning from a tropical storm. And above a myriad of stars.

Flight to Egypt #1
Flight to Egypt #1, White and Silver Pens
Flight to Egypt #2
Flight to Egypt #2, Oil Pastel
Flight to Egypt #3
Flight to Egypt #3, Colored pencils
Flight to Egypt #4
Flight to Egypt #4, Fineliner Pen
Flight to Egypt #5
Flight to Egypt #5, Gouache
Flight to Egypt #6
Flight to Egypt #6, Torn and Etched Aluminum Foil
Flight to Egypt #7
Flight to Egypt #7, Florescent Sharpie
Flight to Egypt #8
Flight to Egypt #8, Emirates Colour Pencil
Flight to Egypt #9
Flight to Egypt #9, Pointillism, White Pen
Flight to Egypt #10
Flight to Egypt #10, Graphite (4B) Pencil
Flight to Egypt #11
Flight to Egypt #11, Spray Paint
Flight to Egypt #12
Flight to Egypt #12, Spray Paint Stencil Print
Flight to Egypt #13
Flight to Egypt #13, Cut Paper Inverse (Stencil)
Flight to Egypt #14
Flight to Egypt #14, Cut Paper
Flight to Egypt #15
Flight to Egypt #15, Glitter
Flight to Egypt #16
Flight to Egypt #16, Torn Masking Tape
Flight to Egypt #17
Flight to Egypt #17, Acrylic Paint
Flight to Egypt #18
Flight to Egypt #18, Wax Crayon
Flight to Egypt #19
Flight to Egypt #19, Horizontal Lines, Yellow Colored Pencil
Flight to Egypt #20
Flight to Egypt #20, IKEA Pencil
Flight to Egypt #21
Flight to Egypt #21, White Colored Pencil

Country Thief

CountryThief
CountryThief

What would happen if certain countries did not exist?

One of the items in Theo’s procrastination list (since 2014) is an geographical education computer game called Country Thief. 

As someone who comes from a country (New Zealand) that is often left off global maps, I decided to create a game where countries are disappearing from the map for various reasons (evil dictators, nuclear war, economic collapse, alien invasion, meteors of unusual size and shape, global warming). Players race against decreasing time limits to find the missing country and identify it. Can you beat the clock and save your country from disappearing?

Given recent current events and environmental concerns, I am releasing this concept design image for people to share on social media and make their own comments.

There Once Was Sky (Under Construction)

Over the last few years the landscape around our neighborhood has changed as more and more of the older buildings are replaced with luxury apartment blocks.

A neighbor behind us had a two storey house where they kept chickens on their rooftop under a grapevine.

There was sky
There was sky. Photograph.

In 2014 they and others in the street sold to developers and their houses were demolished to make way for new construction.
Concrete foundations for the new building were poured and then demolished again. Rising five floors above the second foundation the new apartment construction took about two years.

Under construction
New neighboring apartment building under construction, photograph

The new monstrosity now blocks our view of the city, hills, afternoon sun and sky.

This painting series aims to capture that there once was sky.

There once was sky, under construction.
There once was sky (under construction). Gouache on canvas board, 30x40cm.

North & South

The Land of Confusion - North and South
The Land of Confusion – North and South, digital image

Another in The Land of Confusion series, North & South highlights places in the world with North or South in their names.