Above: "The Rice Harvest", 24 x 24 inches, acrylic on canvas

My first rice painting was completed in the dry paddy fields at the International Rice Research Institute during April 2004. The crop is harvested by hand using small hand scythes. Four people work in a line cutting a patch of the dried rice straw. The bundles are then wrapped up - often in sheets, or scraps of material and carried to the threshing machine. This is hot, dry and uncomfortable work and the workers protect themselves from the sun, heat and dust as best they can by wearing t-shirts over their heads and then keeping them in place with hats and scarves, I use my sun block and painting hat. At IRRI the crops are protected 24 hours a day by 'bird boys' who literally camp out under makeshift shelters and umbrellas. The 'bird boys' are there to scare off the birds that feed on the ripe rice grains. The colours are washed out hot, dry, and dusty - the landscape is dominated by the tops of volcanoes which have clouds forming at the summit, modern telegraph wires cut across an age old scene and banana plants can be seen growing on the fringes of the paddy.

Above: "Winnowing in the Wind", 24 x 24 inches, acrylic on canvas

After the main crop has been collected and threshed by machine, the workers return to the paddy to collect the remaining rice straw by hand. This is then sorted in the breeze to extract as much rice as they can. Water-buffalo stand idle in the heat of the day and the light is searingly bright, reflecting on the dry landscape. A tripod is erected to speed up the sifting of the rice grains and individuals winnow small piles by hand using the breeze to separate the rice from the straw. The rice is collected in white sacks and loaded onto an assortment of vehicles - jeepneys, bikes, motorbikes. Later in the day when the framers have departed mothers and their children arrive to sift through the rice straw - extracting enough for maybe one meal that evening. Much of the rice is spread in the road to dry and we drive over it as we depart from this amazing location, the rice being raked flat again after our departure.

Above: "Waterbuffalo and Rice Terraces", 24 x 24 inches, acrylic on canvas

South of IRRI in an area of low rice terraces, I find myself painting beneath a coconut tree and feeling rather anxious - as the wind starts to rise ! The terracing of the land creates a natural drawing of the contours and compartmentalises areas of colour and texture. A Water-buffalo stands motionless in the heat - only visited occasionally by a white stork. A rat runs past my paints making me jump and I am reminded that it could have easily been a snake and that farming has a variety of natural risks. The people wear traditional hats to shade them and wear large dried palm leaves on their backs for shade. Thunder clouds gather over the landscape and tropical rain threatens. The water buffalo finally sits down as I complete the canvas with towering palm leaves and swooping birds.

Above: "Paddy Paddling ", 24 x 24 inches, acrylic on canvas

After the winnowing their are still rice grains in the fields; but too little to collect by hand. To make the most of the remaining rice the farmers herd in hundreds and hundreds of ducks to feed on the rice. The ducks peck and squabble amongst the rice plants - collecting every last grain. The sight is amazing, with the upside down moon of the southern hemisphere, towering palm trees and the lights of the village twinkling on the edge of the paddy. The farmer finally herds the ducks back to their tin and wood house - which is also the pump house for moving water into the paddy fields. The ducks will lay many eggs that are used for food, and to add a competitive edge the ducks are also raced as a local sport ! I pack up my paints and share Coca-Cola, sweet potato and mango with the farmer who owns the land.

Above: "Jungle Rice ", 24 x 24 inches, acrylic on canvas

Occasionally the rice paddy fields come up against un-cultivated land - jungle. IRRI took me to an amazing sunken area surrounded by a wall of jungle in virtually all directions it was approached by driving through banana plantations full of fighting cocks chained to pegs in the ground. The noise of the fighting cocks adds a feeling of imminent attack to the place - although the people farming in the fields are extremely friendly and interested to watch the painting progress - 'very nice Joe' - 'hello Joe' are repeated and repeated. The dark vegetation of the wall of jungle is in great contrast to the rice. Cows gently graze, and chickens roam free feeding from grains and insects in the paddy. The farmers live in a small one room house with a 'home garden' containing a mix of plants, fruits and a fish pond - all carefully fenced in to protect from poachers and large grazing animals. In the wet season they must effectively live on an island surrounded by rice and jungle - amazing. The clouds build, flashes dart across the sky - and towards the volcano. I take shelter with the farmers in their home - small dogs run around - and I am invited to share the farmers lunch. The sun reappears and I return to the now steaming landscape - glistening under tropical skies. I finish at dusk and see families sheltering/cooking/sleeping in cardboard and tin shelters on the edge of the fields; I return to the car to be whisked out before the new people's army return to the check points and streets.

Rice is Life, is an exhibition hosted online by The John Dyer Gallery. The exhibition was hosted during September 2004 by the Eden Project in Cornwall.

During April 2004 John Dyer was resident artist at the International Rice Research Institute at Los Banos in the Philippines.

John spent his time at IRRI studying the ethno-botanical relationships surrounding the crop rice and the paintings that he completed during his time with IRRI can be seen here and at the Eden Project in Cornwall, UK.

EXHIBITION PHOTOS :
See photographs of the exhibition

VIDEO:
Watch video footage of John painting in the Philippines

PHOTOS:
Watch a photographic slide show of John painting in the Philippines

Artists in residence at IRRI

"IRRI had the unusual pleasure of having not one, but two artists in residence as part of the Institute's on-going series of special activities for the International Year of Rice (IYR).

Over five days, British painter John Dyer produced a series of paintings that interpreted the relationships among people, the rice plant, and the rice ecosystem. The paintings are an extension of the work that John - the painter in residence for the Eden Biodome project in Cornwall - carried out last year for the Save the Children Fund. Inspired by the IYR, John hopes his paintings will draw attention to the importance of rice and its impact on the environment.

John was accompanied by Tim Varlow, one of London's top graphic artists and designers for video. Tim produced a series of black ink sketches of different rice scenes such as harvesting and threshing. He also gave some expert advice and ideas on the production of a new visitors video for IRRI. 

His company in London, called Liquid, has been nominated for several British Academy Awards and was also responsible for some of the work for the worldwide promotional campaign for the American Idol talent quest series.

John and Tim have kindly agreed to provide IRRI with images of all the work they did during their visit to Los Ba–os to be used as limited edition posters, calendars, book covers, Christmas cards, and other promotional items for the Institute and rice. Click here for more photos. For more information visit John Dyer's Web site, Tim Varlow's company's Web site, and The Eden Project "

2006 Rice is Life wall calendar now available

" IRRI's wall calendar for 2006 with the theme Rice is life and featuring the acrylic art of British artist John Dyer is selling at a vigorous rate. Mr. Dyer visited IRRI in 2004 during the International Year of Rice and painted six pictures depicting the ethnobotanical relationships within the surrounding rice environment. Sample copies of the calendar have been sent to each OU. Visit your OU secretary or administrative coordinator to take a look or click here to view a pdf of the beautiful 7-page calendar. It'll make a wonderful holiday gift for colleagues, friends, and neighbors."