‘Julian Schnabel’s ‘ The Raft’ Oil, plates, bondo, & branch on wood - 1982….  Ive only ever seen in a book, took me on a journey when at the age of eighteen I lashed myself to its mast and drifted off into an ocean physical and mental self discovery. The plates stuck to the support with a rudimentary ‘bondo’ glue, then laquered with layers of oil reminded me of the sediment at the bottom of the sea. This raft was never going to float, yet the lightness of the painted image on such a heavy ground gave it a chance to rise above its own detritus. The heroic figure is the tortured Christ?Yes… but its also a self portrait of the artist literally at sea in a world full of broken objects and filth’.

You can see Howard Dykes work here… http://howarddyke.com and here… Saachi Gallery

Cortijada Los Gázquez has a brand new web site full of new content, beautiful images and all the information about our Creative Courses in Food, Art and Photography. You can also find all the details about our new monthly on-line creative course Art Help! and our new blog Food of Art.

Follow this link to see the new web site: www.losgazquez.com

Last spring, Enrique Doblas Miranda, consultant of our project Sistemas Efímeros, published an article entitled The Mediterranean forest in the face of global change in the scientific magazine Investigación y Ciencia. His text contains valuable information concerning our transdisciplinary project Sistemas Efímeros as it focuses on how mediterranean ecosystems react to climate change. Enrique explains that these ecosystems are able to slightly mitigate some of the changes, such as the rise in temperature, the biological invasions and the atmospheric pollution, and he points out that in some cases they are able to alter some of the effects of climate change affecting, among others, the availibility of water for vegetation and for human supply. The full article is available in Spanish here.

Water catchment area where the project Sistemas Efímeros focuses on. 

Enrique Doblas Miranda (PhD in Biological Sciences, University of Granada) works in Barcelona at the CREAF (Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications), where he is the coordinator of the MONTES-Consolider project concerning the interactions between Spanish woodlands and global change and soon he will be the director of the MENFRI project, looking for the creation of a Mediterranean network of forest research and innovation.

Joya: arte + ecología prestents the award ¡TOMA!…

The ¡TOMA! AWARD is asking artists to submit proposals for works which sustainably utilise natural material found within the rain water catchment system described in Joya: arte + ecología’s project Sistemas Efímeros. The proposed works should reference the scant resource of water in the arid climate of Almería, Andalucía, whilst celebrating the subtle virtues of alpine desert ecosystems. The artist chosen by the selection committee will be awarded a three week residency at Cortijada Los Gázquez, the home of Joya: arte + ecología, to manifest the proposal with the help of assistants (where necessary).

CLOSING DATE: 31st December 2013

Please visit this link to find out more about ¡TOMA! and the application process. You can also download the document as a PDF.

Joya: arte + ecología presenta el premio ¡TOMA!…

El PREMIO ¡TOMA! busca propuestas de artistas para realizar trabajos que hagan uso del material natural que se encuentra en el sistema de captación de agua descrito en el proyecto Sistemas Efímeros. Los trabajos propuestos deben hacer referencia a la escasez de recursos hídricos de la provincia de Almería, Andalucía, y al mismo destacar las sutiles virtudes de los ecosistemas semiáridos. El artista elegido por el comité de selección será premiado con una residencia de tres semanas en Los Gázquez, sede de Joya: arte + ecología, para llevar a cabo su propuesta con la ayuda de asistentes en el caso de que su proyecto lo requiera.

FECHA LÍMITE: 31 de Diciembre de 2013

En este enlace puedes encontrar toda la información sobre ¡TOMA!. Las bases completas también están disponibles en PDF.

 
‘I have just had my first visit to Cortijada Los Gázquez, an arts project situated in the Sierra María-Los Vélez Natural Park in the province of Almería, Andalucía, Spain. It is run by Simon and Donna Beckman, who have succeeded in renovating an abandoned traditional farmhouse, making it completely off the grid, using solar and wind power. A major part of the plans for Los Gázquez includes investigating, and hopefully reinstating, the old water catchment system on the farm, as a part of  ‘Sistemas Efímeros’ – a collaborative project that brings together the expertise of disciplines such as landscape historians, geologists, botanists through artist-lead works that will augment the perception of the natural value of arid landscapes…’

Please follow this link to read the full article.

New York artist Melissa Marks has returned to Cortijada Los Gázquez to pursue an ongoing dialogue with her 2011 installation, ‘Suntrap’. This second discourse is entitled ‘The adventures of Volitia: SUNBURST’.

Next Sunday you are all invited to the opening of this monochrome artwork during the sunset.

RSVP to [email protected]
 

La artista de Nueva York Melissa Marks ha vuelto a Cortijada Los Gázquez para continuar un diálogo con su obra de 2011 “Suntrap”. Este segundo discurso se titula “Las aventuras de Volitia: SUNBURST”.

El próximo domingo 7 de julio, durante la puesta de sol, estáis todos invitados a la inauguración de este trabajo monocromo.

Los interesados deben enviar un e-mail a [email protected] para confirmar su asistencia.

Work in progress. You can find out more about Melissa Marks’s SUNBURST here.

Work in progress. You can find out more about Melissa Marks’s SUNBURST here.

New York artist Melissa Marks has been working on SUNBURST for more than a week now. You can find all the information on this installation here.

Work in progress. You can find out more about Melissa Marks’s SUNBURST here.