Sea face

Eight years ago I painted this. I based it on a broken terracotta wall plaque that I’d had on the wall outside but I think the frost split it. It sort of reminds me of the green man theme and I think I actually bought it in a green man shop in Pickering in Yorkshire….. It was an acrylic on canvas and I guess I must have sold it as I haven’t seen it for years? You can get inspiration from all sorts of places if you look.

Art competition

Write about a time when you didn’t take action but wish you had. What would you do differently?

So many times I have missed deadlines for art competitions. I somehow freeze and lose confidence.

I think it stems from a college tutor who told me I would do badly and not get a good degree. I believed him and when I was successful I still questioned my validity. I come from a working class home and I didn’t have the self confidence to dismiss his opinion. I took three years to get over it and forever after I have felt some degree of imposter syndrome. I was once asked as l local artist to judge an art competition. It was so hard, I didn’t know what to do, whether I would disappoint people. The result was announced and I think people were pleased with my choice, but I felt great guilt!

It’s hard to think that those few words my tutor spoke forty years ago, sank deep into my heart. What would I be doing if I hadn’t listened to his poisoned words. I wish I knew then what I do now.

Face sketch

Artrage sketch

Used as many tools as I could on the Artrage app to sketch this. It could be a design for a stained glass window design. I tried to make it look mediaeval. I wanted it to look translucent. Using different textures. I tried to keep the colours to the blue, green and purple side of the spectrum. I like using lines for this image. Blue eyes.

Chimneys

Chimneys at Etruria Industrial museum

Looking down from the balcony of Etruria Industrial museum at the Jessie Shirley Bone and Flint mill. I’m not sure what building the large chimney is attached to.

Chimneys and bottle ovens were all over Stoke on Trent in the past. Many of them have been demolished and dismantled. The heritage of the potteries is gradually being destroyed. Maybe for better infrastructure, but our council seems to have fallen in love with multi storey car parks! Not exactly architectural gems I’m afraid.

If you want to find out more about chimneys and them being demolished, it’s worth looking up Fred Dibnah on Google, he was a fascinating man, a steeplejack that became famous blowing up old chimneys. Later programmes were made of him driving steam traction engines and discussing Industrial archeology.

Dying hedge

Up until two years ago the hedge my garden hedge was fine and healthy but then unknown to us we got a leaking pipe in the garden. While the trees in the hedge prospered the hedge didn’t. The plants got straggly and untidy, a friend cut part of it back but it didn’t regenerate. Then last year a builder dumped a load of rubble and rubbish in the alley running alongside the garden. Eventually after about six months the council bought a digger in to remove it, but the cut the hedge in half all the way along the path. Effectively removing all the green growth that overhung the pathway. We are trying to add roses and hedgerow plants like hawthorn, but it still looks like a gap toothed smile! You can see into the garden from outside. We also have hundreds of tree seedlings germinating probably because of light getting into the garden.

I went out for the first time in months today. I feel very unsteady and the garden paths are uneven, but I need to try and make an effort despite shaking like a jelly!

I could say pandemics…

What makes you nervous?

It rhymes with might

I won’t see this sight

You can keep your air

It’s just not fair

You see I’m nervous

But not being verbose

I won’t write big words

Like phobic? of birds…

I look at the sky

And my, oh my

I see a plane

Flying to Spain

Or over an airport

Where airplanes depart..

You won’t catch me in one

I just think they’re no fun!

So you hear me cry..

I just won’t fly!

Onomatopoeia ?

Glung! The springs in my bed make that noise. Shhhhh the wind in the trees.

It’s the word that is written that sounds like the sound that is being made. Cats Miaow (or miroaw), sheep go Bahh. So lambs are called Baa Lambs. There is a Baa lamb hill near here.

Just thinking, maybe that’s how language started? Imitating sounds, and then other describing words. How can we know.

Translation of language was helped by the Rosetta stone which had three languages carved into it. Because each was a translation of the previous one it took linguists back in time to understand ancient voices.