Collage of windows
Old Wood, plastic film
Keeping viewers out
Allowing partial views
Plants shelter the room
Art is made here
A calm, warm atmosphere
A place to chill, relax
Find harmony
Windows
Author: artbychristinemallabandbrown
I'm an artist based at the Spode factory site in Stoke on Trent. I paint, draw and create digital art. Contact me at mallabandbrown@aol.com
First drawing…
My first drawing after my cateract operation. It was just a quick sketch, a drawing of a friend. I was really scared I wouldn’t be able to sketch, but there I was shading in with a pencil. I had forgotten the pleasure I get from being creative. Now I need to keep doing more!
Growing up…
Someone asked if I grew up with 3 TV channels and no smartphone? My answer:
We watched 1 channel, on black and white TV. God save the queen played when the station closed and then a high tone would play to get you to switch off your TV.
We listened to Radio 1 and the light programme, with Jimmy Clitheroe on at the weekends. My mom got the thunderbird theme tune played on the radio for our birthday.
We had rotary phone (eventually) after we moved house. Then we had spin dryer, boiler/top loading washer with a ringer.
In the old house we had a toilet at the end of the yard but we had one downstairs in the new house. In the old house we had a tin bath. In the new house we had a brand new bathroom. And my parents bought an electric shower. Shall I go on… Memories.
I didn’t post yesterday…
I forgot to post and now it’s 1.04am so I’ve lost my number of days of posting consistently. I have been busy looking after my cat and I went to choir practice. I then fell asleep and I only just woke up. I should really have gone to bed, but the armchair is comfortable and warm. Upstairs is a lot colder because I am trying to save on the energy bill. Anyway, boring post! Goodnight!
The Autumn
Leaves Fall in Autumn
Flowers spring up in Spring
Summer sums the year up
Winter does what? Wint?
Seasons they are all….
Never know what words mean
They are only sounds,
What is the word Autumn
Two syllables round.
It’s more interesting to say
Than a bland word like fall.
A remnant of history
That our ancient world recalls.
Bubbles
Foam, bubbles, froth
Soap and water
Float on water
Sploshing
Splishing
Splashing
Soft to the skin
Bathing
Washing
Suds for cleaning
Where would we be
Without them?
TV memory
When I was a student we didn’t have much money. The heating was a coal fire in the living room, no central heating and an old hot water boiler in the kitchen that dribbled a bit of warm water out of the spout occasionally.
Once we had a letter from TV licencing asking if we had a TV. We were students and didn’t. My boyfriend sent the letter back and wrote ‘you can come and park your van outside our house for as long as you want, we don’t have a TV’ signed transistor sisters in anarchy! Later we got a black and white TV. They came and checked, black and white licence, black and white TV. No problem!
It’s strange how these memories come back in the middle of the night. My mind has turned to the distant past and I’m remembering a lot of things that are probably not important but that mean a lot to me.
Red horse
My friend Eve let me used a black and white photo of a horse as the basis of this acrylic on canvas titled “Red Horse”. I had thought of doing a blue or green version too, but I think this works best. He’s certainly a character. On display at the Etruria Industrial museum in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. I think he could be one of the horses that used to haul barges along the Trent and Mersey canal.
Singing about the cut (canal).
We sang about the boats and pots
Of horses pulling barges.
Before the cuts were built and dug.
The plates broke on the carts
A third of pottery destroyed
Because of mud and ruts
For a hundred years the canals enjoyed
The busy work of transport
Then motorways and rail roads were built
And ware shifted to “faster” ways.
The cuts were clogged with water weeds
The towpaths overgrown.
Until the leisure cruisers came
And cleaned the weeds away.
Now British waterways they rule
And you can moor your boat
Anglers dip their rods in water
And catch all sorts of course fish.
The canals are better than before
No shopping trolleys in them.
A resource for walkers, boaters, folk,
To enjoy and rest and play.
Summerhouse
This is my second short story on a spooky theme to be read out with my writers group at Halloween x
I’ve been watching the summerhouse for a few days. I thought I saw someone inside it. I can see it from the kitchen window, the one on the side of the house, a small square piece of glass.
It overlooks the main garden and is where I have my cctv camera. Last night the camera beeped. I looked at the recording, but it was just a moth, fluttering in front of the camera.
This morning I went out to look at the Summerhouse, but it was still padlocked, the windows are OK and apart from some ivy growing up the side everything seems fine.
I’m loathe to walk in the garden. I have to use a stick and I’m a bit unsteady on my feet. There’s a wobbly step to negotiate and it makes me nervous.
Anyway that was a few weeks ago. I’ve not seen anything recently. But the cctv has been quiet, apart from recording falling leaves. It’s almost autumn and the nights are getting colder.
I still look out at the summerhouse, it’s more visible now the branches are losing their firey burden. Sometimes I see shadows, but I think it’s the way the sunlight filters through the undergrowth.
2am, the milkman just delivered my milk, he always moves my bin to put it over the gate. It’s too late to go out now and it’s a bit frosty so I’ll wait till morning.
I woke up a few minutes ago, there was another noise, I think the bin was moved again? It sits in front of my gate which has the basket for the milk bottles on the back… I’m not going out….
Now it’s morning. The milk was still there – gate still padlocked – but could someone have climbed over?
I put my shoes on. It’s frosty out here
I’m recording this on my phone – I want to take photos if I need to. Don’t trip over, I’ve got my walking stick…. I should be OK….
There IS something in the summerhouse!
A dark shape. I can see eyes glinting in the dawn light. My chest feels tight, my pulse is racing. What the HELL IS THAT?
Mrs Smiths phone was found by her corpse Sir. She seems to have come out looking for something or someone. She seems to have had a seizure, could be hypothermia? The Summerhouse is empty and there is no sign of forced entry. The backdoor of her house was locked from the outside we think, she had the key. The death was recorded as unexplained
Mallaband-Brown 