This popped up on my Facebook memories today, it’s a mural I painted on lining paper on the wall in the Arnold Bennett suite at the Leopard Hotel, in Burslem, Stoke on Trent. It’s about 13 or 14 years since I painted it. It’s based on the Burslem Riot which happened at the same time as other riots were happening in the country about how people were being treated. I think it was organised by the chartists in 1843 (when they were trying to get the vote if I remember right). The riot act was read to disperse the crowd. A man called Josiah Heapy was shot dead by the troops and is remembered as a victim of oppression by the local elite. The main characters in the ainting were all based on people I knew.
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Colour on the windowledge
Colour is my friend,
It holds my hand
Shines from my eyes
Visits my dreams.
Colours tickle my taste buds,
Get up my nose,
Flirts with my senses.
Colours touch my heart,
Play with my mind,
Cures my blues.
Colours are in me
Around me
Through me.
Are me!
College musings
Our discussion today was about Levi-Strauss the anthropologist and his discussion about how food can be an analogy for life.
I found it hard to follow, Raw was the raw ingredients, before things are transformed by cooking. Then he discusses how cooking by boiling is somehow female, while roasting is male? Then raw can go to cooking, then rotten or directly to rotten. We discussed the paths we are taking as artists on this course. Have we gone from raw and unformed to cooked, and do failures in ideas indicate rotten. We also had to read from Richard Sennett’s book ‘The Craftsman’ which helped to explain the ideas.
Someone suggested pickling or fermentation as other outcomes. I have been an artist for so long I don’t know if I’ve changed that much? Possibly, as they say practice makes perfect.
Just a little picture of my world at the moment.
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Classic versus block?
WordPress is changing. They are going over to block editor. Those that, like me, like using the simple classic editor can choose ‘classic block’ whatever that means. Apparently you have to choose it as an option. Now I can share my favourite podcast (I don’t have one and I’ve never heard one). Not all of us are technically minded. WordPress should be easier to use. Not harder. It’s like you learn a language only to be told there will be no vowels (vwls) from nw n. Ts sy whn y knw hw…… I saw a post about it in WordPress reader and replied :
Why? How? I’m not technical. I pay for this service. I’ve tried block editor, its horrible. I don’t understand it. Lots of us on here feel the same way. I feel we are not even considered let alone listened to.
Will anyone bother to listen, or are we, like classic editor, obsolete?
Tummy rub?
Dare you? Sometimes when a cat rolls over and shows you it’s belly it’s being friendly, and sometimes not. Beware if you reach your hand over. You can be grabbed by the front paws and kicked by the cats back legs, and don’t forget the teeth! major damage can ensue. I’m not saying disaster will happen but its worth watching for twitching tail and grabbing paws with claws out. If you don’t you can end up at the sharp end of your cat!
Urban sketching rules
Since urban sketchers challenge today was shadow, I could have drawn something like this. But we are not allowed to work from photos. Also the image needs to be in context, so not just the glass and table, but the surroundings. It makes for more difficult art, you have to think about what you are including. There are Facebook pages you can join and a monthly magazine that shows urban sketching from around the world.
This years annual urban sketchers meet up was cancelled because of the virus. It would have been in Leeds. Hopefully it will happen next year.
Pears
The pears are growing big on the tree and starting to weigh the crown down. Soon they will be ripe. I hope they are ready before their weight snaps the tree! At the moment it’s held up with a block of wood.
Gardening is learning. Finding out how to support plants when they need it. I’ve been told the tree has black spot, but it survives. And is covered in pears.
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Found the sundial
Hooked on a tree
In the shade,
With no way of knowing
What time it is?
Weird place to be
Up in a tree.
Did it climb up
Like the kitty
It depicts?
Need to be rescued,
Bought down to the ground.
Into the sunlight?
Yes definitely!
Rained again tonight.
My friends and I set out late this evening for our weekly walk. We’ve been walking up my steep hill every week for a few weeks, but tonight it was not to be. We’d got about 20 yards when splat! Big drops of rain. Lots of big drops. At least there was no thunder, no lightening. Just rain!
So… We could see bright pink clouds over the brow of the hill so we decided to drive in seperate cars over the hill to the local viewpoint. I was hoping to se a lovely sunset, but no, by the time we stopped the rain was falling fiercely there as well.
Plan C, we went into a local bar for a cool drink. By this time one of my friends had found a plastic bag to put over her head.
As we entered we had our temperature checked. I was still wearing a mask and because the bar was quiet felt reasonably happy removing it.
But it’s baby steps. I’m nervous of mingling with people I don’t know. It’s not something I will do without some trepidation.
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Usk challenge, shadows
I’ve put 13.7.20, but it was actually 13.8.20, thirteenth of August. The prompt today was shadows, this is the view of the plants and buildings in the background from our side window. There may not be many more prompts because we have to come up with them ourselves, I wonder what we could come up with…..
I decided afterwards to add some dark watercolour to it, but then decided to add a few colours too. 
I also changed the date on it. Its still shaded. I think it looks quite nice.
