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Two short and related videos exploring Soil and Art, and my journey painting with soil and other natural pigments. At the start of my Artist Residency at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, in the lovely Lam Tsuen Valley near Tai Po in Hong Kong. we produced two short videos. One follows my personal journey with Soil and Art and how I came to making my own pigments and painting with soil and other natural materials. The second video explores what is painting with soil and the wonder of the natural colours that are often ignored beneath our feet. Both videos are about 6 minutes each and well worth watching!
Soil & Art, Video 1.
An Artist's Personal Journey Exploring Art, Gardening and Soil
copyright, Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden
Soil & Art, Video 2,
Unveiling the Wonders and Colours of Soil Beneath Our Feet
copyright, Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden
The first video explores my personal journey that led to experiment and develop painting with soil and other natural pigments. The video was produced by Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG) while I was Artist in Residence (between Nov 2023 and Jan 2024) and accompanied my Solo Show, ‘Soil and Art, the Roots of Life’ 生命之源：土壤與藝術 蕭大偉之土壤畫展
‘We walk on the soil, but we rarely think about it. Yet globally soils need protecting and restoring to life – our life depends upon it!’
Contents
00:37 蕭大偉的職業生涯 Career of David St Maur Sheil
01:19 以前是這樣作畫的 How he used to paint
02:26 土壤藝術的歷史The history of soil art
03:18 他選用的天然介質The natural medium he uses
04:46珍視土壤的原因Reasons to cherish soil
KFBG wrote, “David St Maur Sheil is the third artist-in-residence of the Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden’s Artist-in-Residence Programme (2023-2024). A passionate artist David has gained recognition for his remarkable talent in transforming natural soils into stunning artworks. Beyond his artistic pursuits, David is an advocate for sustainable soil and composting composting, drawing from his extensive experience in organic farming, biodynamic gardening and permaculture. He uses soil as pigment and paints art inspired by nature on media such as hand-made recycled paper. His art stands as testament to the beauty and resilience of the Earth while serving as a resounding call to action for all of us to take responsibility for the future of our planet.
This video is copyright, Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden and published with permission. It can also be found with additional chinese language description on KFBG's youtube channel
The second video is An introduction to Soil and Art, providing an introduction to Soil Art. The video was produced by Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG) iin Hong Kong, while I was Artist in Residence (between Nov 2023 and Jan 2024) and accompanied my Solo Show, 'Soil and Art, the Roots of Life' 生命之源：土壤與藝術 蕭大偉之土壤畫展
"Art is a way for me to raise people's awareness around the preciousness of soil and our connection to soil"
Contents
00:30 土壤包含的元素 Elements contained in the soil
02:29 怎樣製作土壤顏料？ How to make soil pigment
03:04 林村土壤的顏色 The colour of soils in Lam Tsuen
03:58 收集土壤時的注意事項 Things to note when collecting soil
05:37 嘉道理農場的土壤色調 Soil colours of Kadoorie Farm
KFBG wrote, 'David is a passionate artist with a deep interest in sustainable soil practices. As an artist living in the Lam Tsuen Valley, adjacent to KFBG, David meticulously breaks down soil into its intricate components, including stones, grit, sand, crystals, organic matter, clays and dust. With his masterful touch, he reassembles these elements into striking art pieces that not only showcase the beauty and texture of the earth but also highlight its extraordinary diversity.' This video is copyright, Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden and published with permission. It can also be found with additional chinese language description on the KFBG youtube channel
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