Cortijada los Gazquez. Creative Retreat and Eco-Guest House

[Clive]

Hi all,

One of the finest websites I have seen in a long time has just been launched. It's slick and clean and the project itself should be applauded...http://www.losgazquez.com

Iberianature forum member Simon (losgazquez) has asked me to announce it for him here and I am sure a bit of feedback will be appreciated. I am particularly interested in the "Bone tree project" and hope that members here will be able to help out with any identifications needed as the project proceeds...
http://www.losgazquez.com/en/bone_tree.html

News release on Wildside Holidays is at
http://www.wildsideholidays.com/holiday-focus-spain/13-cortijada-los-gazquez-creative-retreat-and-eco-guest-house.html

Best of luck for your project Simon!



 

[Sue]

  Good luck to All at Los Gazquez

What a terrific project!

I'm curious as to where the name 'The Bone Tree' comes from?

[Los Gazquez]

Hi Sue and Clive,

Thank you, you have both been very generous in your appraisal of our project over here. You ask where the name 'bone tree' came from. As a youth up in the Dark Peak and often on the Isle of Anglesey I collected animal skulls, particularly birds. The sand dunes were always a good spot. As an artist they are great for anatomical drawing as well as weaving such iconography into my oil painting. This habit of collecting bones has carried on and now includes my children. Except as seven year old's are want, the collection has vastly expanded to include any bone from any animal.

Looking for a home for this collection, and being one always at the whim of ones own creative instincts, we decided to decorate a dead almond tree with them. It looks like some strange shamanistic totem from another era.
Later when looking for a name for our landscape and environmental art initiative 'bone tree' seemed ideal, being as it is a metaphor to climate change, desertification and the inevitable change in land use in Andalucia.

And thanks for correcting my gecko identification on our blog, to be honest I thought the Moroccan gecko was a bit more scaly and horny.

See you soon.

Salu2 Simon at Cortijada Los Gazquez

[nick]

That is a great design Simon. Very, very clean navigation. You are to be congratulated!

[Sue]

Hi Simon,
thanks for the explanation of the 'Bone Tree', it sounds like an impressive sight!

[Dave]

Hi Los Gazquez
Yes a really great site and very interesting
Best of Luck
Regards
Dave

[Clive]

Simon has been steadily making improvements to his already excellent website with some great results...

http://www.losgazquez.com/en/

[Los Gazquez]

Dear Iberianature Forum,

We would like to take the opportunity to announce to all forum members some new events and activities here at Cortijada Los Gazquez. We have initiated JOYA, a residency for artists working within transition culture. We have a full itinerary of artists well into 2010 coming from California, New York, Canada, Sweden, Belgium, France and England. Transition culture is a reference to those individuals or communities who are seeking ways to equip themselves to be resistant to the effects of 'peak oil' and 'climate change'. Essentially it is a project to embrace the twin diciplines of art and ecology.
You can read more about the JOYA residency here...
http://www.losgazquez.com/en/joya/  and for regular information as to all our creative activities you can follow us on our blog here... http://www.losgazquez.com/blog/
Should you have any inquiries please feel free to contact us through the web site.
I enclose an early morning photograph of Cortijada Los Gazquez from last weekend.

Best wishes to all, Simon Beckmann.

[Los Gazquez]

While I was posting on other issues I thought I might post another picture of the beautiful Sierra Maria-Los Vélez where we live in the north of Almería.

You can see more of my photos of the area here... http://www.flickr.com/photos/cortijadalosgazquez/

Or just catch up on us and our artists residency here... http://www.losgazquez.com/blog/

Salu2, Simon at Cortijada Los Gázquez.