Woodland Pond at Sunset

Gerard Bilders

‘It is not my aim and object’, said Bilders, ‘to paint a cow for the cow’s sake or a tree for the tree’s, but by means of the whole – to create a beautiful and huge impression which nature sometimes creates, also with the most simple means’. As a boy, Bilders visited museums in The Hague and there got lost in the 17th century Dutch Landscape paintings, falling headfirst into the framed scenes and finding refuge in the nature that he depicted. It was the all-encompassing pastoral beauty of these works that drove him to capture the landscape in its totality, and in doing so create works of abundant calm and beauty. It was not the individual elements of the natural world that enthralled him, but the unity and wholeness of the whole scene that was essential for his work. Bilders lived in the nature he created, finding his home in represented lands until he died from tuberculosis at the age of 26.

Tuesday 7th July

Our waning Moon finds itself at half Moon in the watery constellation of Pisces, known as the Fishes because its star pattern has long been imagined as two fish tied together by a cord, swimming through the celestial waters. In biodynamic practice, Pisces carries a moist, flowing quality, drawing attention to the leaf realm of the plant and the movement of sap and water. This makes it a good time to tend to leafy vegetables and cultivated plants, especially by hoeing and weeding around them at this time of year. Clearing away competing weeds helps the crops receive more light, space, nutrients, and moisture, allowing them to develop more freely.