Albrecht Dürer’s The Large Piece of Turf,  this seemingly simple rendition of what might be dismissed as just a patch of grass is a marvel of delination. Painted in 1503 using a mixed technique of pen drawing and watercolor, in this wayside vegetation a botanical eye can recognise several grasses, flowers and weeds – cock’s-foot, creeping bent, smooth meadow grass, daisy, dandelion, germander speedwell, greater plantain, hound’s-tongue and yarrow. With this painting we are brought to our knees to examine the very ground beneath our feet. To Dürer everything is worthy of our attention.

Thanks to 3-D animation we are now able to travel through the painting and with the keen eye of a scientist, investigate each individual blade of grass and then marvel at the complexity of this eco-system.

 

Inside The Large Piece of Turf – Albrecht Dürer’s Wonderland from Philip Paar

Here in the San Geronimo Valley grass, the turf, the greens, are the centerpiece for the contentious March 3 vote on the fate of our local Golf Course. There are many plans being bantered about including trading the fairways for row crops using regenerative farming practices, restoring the soil after years of chemical use. Richard envisions ala Rosa Bonheur a team of oxen plowing the fields. ReimagineSanGeronimo

Richard still reminisces about his days as a golfer but on our daily walk on the expansive grounds that is now populated with kids and dogs and bicycles enjoying the open space, we say, make it a park for all. VOTE NO on D is our rallying cry.

We began our strolls in late summer. As the vegetation dried, so did the greens. To keep the area around the hole from being worn down, it is repositioned on a regular basis. With the drying out, the replacement plugs became visible, making them perfect for our playful rearrangements.

When the rains started, the soft creeping bentgrass began to sprout. Think chia pets. We harvested the plugs and are now making our politcal stance visible on these tiny turfs.

That well -trod metaphor grass through concrete is our rallying cry for time and tenacity; for celebrating the force of the tinest seed to find its place and to flourish.