Category: Uncategorized

I must finish this

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About three months ago? I started this, but then winter arrived and I stopped painting. My eyesight has got worse, I’ve found myself cleaning my glasses and realised it was my eyeballs that need “cleaning”, my cataracts are getting worse, extending into my central vision. It’s like a vaseline smeared camera lens that they use to make scenes in films look more romantic or nostalgic. In my case it’s like looking through mist. And it’s bloody annoying! Luckily I’m having my eyes checked out to have a cataract operation. Hopefully I will be able to paint again soon.

Mori

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I think a lot about life and death these days. If I don’t hear from people I worry about them. This morning my cat was so fast asleep he was barely breathing. I didn’t want to disturb him, but he is getting old so I gently blew on his ear. It twitched and I was overjoyed. He was fine and woke a few minutes later.

My sister says she might come and live with me if my health gets worse. But somehow I want to reject that. I’m not ready for a last chapter of my book. There has been too much loss lately. I just want that to stop. To enjoy life for a change. Slough off my sorrows and come back fighting. I can’t keep my sadness and worry going, it’s too exhausting. I know I need to “memento mori”, a Latin phrase, which translates to “remember that you must die” in English. It’s a reminder of mortality and the fleeting nature of life. The phrase can be used for a work of art.  I think that was what my little painting was about.

Arthur Berry mural

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Arthur was one of my tutors at college. He went to Burslem School of Art to train in painting. I did this portrait mural of him and one of his paintings at the Leopard Hotel in Burslem in the back room. I think that was over ten years ago now. Unfortunately it was lost in the fire in 2022.

It’s emulsion paint, painted directly onto the wall, so when people ask me if the paintings were rescued I have to tell them no.

Chocolate

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Jot down the first thing that comes to your mind.

It’s Easter and my sister just asked me if I have had an easter egg as a treat. I haven’t, I had a rice crispy easter cake with a couple of mini eggs on it. I’m trying to lose weight and improve my diet.

But high percentage chocolate is supposed to be good for you so I sometimes buy 85 % dark chocolate. I recently found out that it’s good for your magnesium levels. I will only eat one square a day so I don’t increase my sugar levels.

I try and buy fair trade chocolate to make sure the cocoa farmers get a fair price for their crops, but I really ought to research it more to check this is correct.

Hot cross buns for tea.

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Traditional hot cross buns, soft sweet fruited buns marked with a cross. Eaten generally at Easter to commemorate Jesus dying on the cross. I like the normal ones but they have started coming up with chocolate ones, or even ones with a creme egg in the middle. I’ve also heard of ones with cheddar cheese! Might as well have a cheese scone.

Lovely flower

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I don’t remember taking this photo. I think it might be from a free photo library. It’s in my media files. Anyway I just want to start planting up my pots with lovely flowers like this. Ideally I’d like a friend to be here to keep an eye on me and perhaps help with heavier pots. I love creating a colourful garden in the yard for the summer. Fingers crossed I can still do it.

The Leopard destroyed

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Remembering the Leopard

Sketch of the Leopard Hotel in Burslem that was destroyed by fire in 2022. I just found this on my phone. I’d done several murals in the back room and was devastated when this happened. The pub was empty and it had been broken into. The wiring was tampered with.

There are some ideas to rebuild part of it using the historic frontage to keep it’s architectural authenticity. I hope it happens. #bandofsketchers drawing in felt pens.

The canopy looks like a rabbit.

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I was sitting in the library and looked out the window. I noticed the trees were still bare. Then I saw the shape of the canopy over the front door. It suddenly looked like a rabbits head. The letter Y at the end of library looks like a rabbits ears. I thought back to making shadow puppets on the wall, it’s so strange, a bit of Pareidolia?