Tree spirits

Posted on March 9, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Colours, Design, Facebook, Memories, Painting, Surreal, Time, Tree, Tree spiritsLeave a comment

Four years ago. Tree spirit painting.

This is an idea I have painted a few times. I’m convinced that we need to do more to encourage tree planting. I guess I’m a bit of a tree hugger on the quiet!

I’ve painted trees with faces in them from spring, to autumn and winter. I’ve not done a summer one so far.

This went to a friend who really loves it. There are three faces in the painting as you can see. I did have a picture of it from the front but can’t find it. This came up on my Facebook page ( a useful way of recording my art). I was really pleased with the bright colours in this. I wanted it to look like a glowing sunset. The faces are mysterious and stare out at each other. I think it’s slightly surreal. I admire the movement but it probably needs more of a twist to it to actually be classed as surreal art.

Pawprints

Posted on March 9, 2020 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic paint, Art, Blank verse, Cat, Footprints, Humour, Micro poetry, Paw prints, Poem, PoetryLeave a comment

Oi you!

That’s my pallete

What now?

Jumped on a footstool,

Walking round.

No don’t lie down!

Look at the mess,

Cat tracks in acrylic paint.

Pawprints in bright colours,

Messy kitty.

I suppose it’s art!

Sleeping Cat

Posted on March 9, 2020 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Cat, Dream, Dreaming, Photo, Purrs, Sleeping, Tired, WhiskersLeave a comment

The cat is sleeping next to me on the chair arm. He’s curled up, warm and snug. Now he’s got a paw over his nose, keeping the light out. Soon his tail and legs will be twitching as he falls into a dream, chasing toy mice or licking cream from his bowl.

His ears are moving around, as if hearing his sister coming running up to him. They often chase each other around the room or up and down the stairs. She comes up and pounces on him, he tries to catch her…

Deep breathing, whiskers are twitching, he’s so settled. It’s mesmerising, watching him sleep….

Missing you

Posted on March 9, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Friends, Ghosted, Internet, Life, Missing, Presence, Sad, Social media, Thinking, Web, WordPressLeave a comment

I’ve recently heard the phrase ‘ghosting’ when people no longer communicate with you on the Internet. It is a deliberate act of cutting themselves off from you.

I understand that sometimes people need a break and if there have been problems with a friendship or relationship then ghosting is a non aggressive or non argumentative way of splitting up.

But then there is the situation where people go missing on the Internet. I miss a few people who have done that. Perhaps they have announced they will no longer be using a site, which is bad enough when you have enjoyed their presence over months or years. Or they simply vanish. After years of talk, maybe someone you met on line and became friends with. Suddenly there is a hollow, a hole where they used to be. And because they are on the Internet you have no real idea in the world where they are. A couple of friends decided to leave WordPress. I used to look forward to their posts. Is it selfish to miss them?

A long term friend passed away recently. Luckily a relative posted that this had happened. Her Facebook page is still there and someone sent a message purporting to be from her. That was worrying. I don’t know why anyone would do that.

To some extent I would prefer to be ghosted than to have someone taking over my friends identity.

Short walk along the canal and Westport lake.

Posted on March 8, 2020March 8, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blustery, Longport, Nature, Photos, Pottery, Price and Kensington, Trent and mersey canal, Trubshaw Cross, Weather, Westport lake, Wildfowl, WildlifeLeave a comment

Long title…

We went for a walk along the Trent and Mersey canal, from the road up to Trubshaw Cross at Longport, Stoke-on-Trent, along the towpath, to the lakes at Westport. I was not at my best so we only walked round the small lake, then back along to our starting point.

The day was blustery, but I could feel some warmth from the sun. The old bottle oven round the back of Price and Kensington (facade allowed to crumble so much the council had to demolish part of it). It was sad to see all the rubbish and wood stacked up on the yard waiting to be burnt. The owners regularly light fires, not small ones, and cause a nuisance with smoke. I worry that the buildings may be irreversibly damaged by this behaviour. As you walk along the canal towpath the image improves, although there are places that are derelict and that made me wonder what would happen if the facade of a building were to fall into the canal.

We found the entry to Westport lake easily enough. We popped into the cafe to get some duck food, than a nice stroll round the lake. Stopping to chat with a photographer who had a really long lens to take pictures of the birds on the lake.

I need more exercise and this helped!

Urban sketchers yesterday

Posted on March 8, 2020 Posted in Cat, Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Brick, Drawings, Eccleshall, Sketches, Staffordshire, Stone figure, Tree, Trees, Urban sketchers Stoke on trent, WorkshopLeave a comment

The cat? He got in front of my sketch pad as I tried to take the photos of my drawings from yesterday. They are a large tree and workshop, a gate with a seated artist hidden behind it, and a stone figure half hidden in the bushes. These might make the basis for some new paintings as I work towards creating art for a new exhibition. I took a few photos too so I can use them to work out the colours.

Brick and bud

Posted on March 8, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Brick, Clay, Green, Growth, New, Poem, Poetry, Spring, SproutingLeave a comment

Sharp Green buds against brick

Cold clay and icy air

Embrace growth

Shelter root and branch

warming earth holds moisture

Fresh leaves are waiting

Ready to burst

Spring is round the corner

Sprouting

Soon.

Writing in the ad breaks

Posted on March 7, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Advertising, Blogging, Cat, Films, Fun, Life, Relaxing, Time, TV, WordPress, WritingLeave a comment

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I want to write tonight but there are a couple of really good films on, so I’m writing during the advertisement breaks. The films are on a channel where the ads get longer and more frequent as the film goes on. It becomes increasingly irritating because just when you get to an interesting bit… It breaks….. Grr.

Actually I’m missing the film now because I’m writing, but that doesn’t matter. I’ve found putting words down in a blog enthralls me. It might not be a great blog, but it helps me sort things out mentally. The cat is sleeping next to me. Twitching as he dreams. It’s nice to just relax….

Outside today

Posted on March 7, 2020March 7, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Cold, Countryside, Drawing, Eccleshall, Life, Sketching, Soughing, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Trees, Urban Sketchers, Wind, WindyLeave a comment

I went out with Urban sketchers today and was at an old farm near Eccleshall to draw. I took a few photos. I need to take good pictures of my drawings.

The day was grey, overcast with great rushes of wind that you could hear soughing through the trees. Starting far way you could hear it rushing and pushing the tree branches. Rooks were flying and calling in the air, scooting about and apparently enjoying it. We even saw a murmuration of Starlings flocking in the distance.

I sat on a white metal garden chair, strong but cold. I ended up folding up my scarf to stop my bum going numb with the cold. Within a few minutes I was shivering and then I got used to it although my hands started to go numb with the chill. Luckily there was hot tea available. It was very kind of the artists that live there to let a crowd of about twenty urban sketchers come round and draw everything from trees to stone dogs.

Westport lake visit

Posted on March 6, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Animals, Birds, Coffee, Duck food, Exercise, Feed the birds, Fun, Lake, Oatcakes, Small lake, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Stroll, Swans, Trees, Walk, Westport, Westport cafe, Westport lakeLeave a comment

Late visit to the lake for coffee and oatcakes. Then took half a bag of Swan, duck and goose food for a short stroll round the small lake. We were mobbed by Canada geese who got a bit aggressive, and one bold Swan who stepped onto the bank in front of me. I threw a handful of food onto the ground and it pecked at it before the other birds got a chance. The pigeons were not as lucky as the food was in large pellets. I tried to break them up a bit but they were to hard to split. I probably should have thrown more in the water but when you are being mobbed it’s hard not to give in and throw it down quickly.

As we walked round the lake I noticed the path was muddy and it looked like it has washed over the pathway at some stage recently. In the field by the children’s playground a large pool of water stood waiting to drain away. Buds were starting to burst on the smaller scrubby trees, bright green against the black and grey twigs. I also spotted something like dandelion (coltsfoot?) yellow ragged flowers, just a cluster of three below a group of trees. Coots and moorhens were also on the lake together with mallard ducks. The sun that had been shining all day had gone behind the clouds and only peeked out as we walked back to the car. Low and bright, dazzling us as we drove away.

Mallaband-Brown

Category: Uncategorized