But is it Art?

Posted on December 11, 2019December 11, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Banana, Ephemera, Fun, Is it art?, Tape14 Comments

sketch-1576072362677

I saw this piece of art on the TV, I’ve drawn it because there will be copyright on the image and I just wanted to illustrate it.

I was only half watching the TV so I didn’t get the artists name, I think I heard that it is a banana taped to the wall. I think there were more than one and they were sold for $130,000? Each!

I don’t understand the ethos behind them. I think that it is art, but I feel a bit concerned as well, I’m not sure anyone should pay that amount for something so ephemeral. Do you change the banana when it rots or the tape when it loses its tackyness. Does it have worth because it has only a short lifespan? Can it be compared with the Mona Lisa.

In the same way as the ‘this is not a pipe’ painting was ridiculed in the past, could this be working off the same premise?

Cats

Posted on December 11, 2019 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Cats, Fun, Humour, Leaping, Play, Poem, PoetryLeave a comment

We have two cats, one basket.

Someone thinks it’s his,

someone thinks it’s hers!

Cat fight! Shock horror!

no harm done, fun had,

chasing round, playing tag,

one great game.

No fur flying….

No scratches or harm..

Bouncing round the room.

Leaping, flying,

cats death defying!

Rains falling heavily

Posted on December 10, 2019December 10, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Cardinal points of the compass, Life, Rain, Storm, Temperate climate, Water, WeatherLeave a comment

sketch-1575999245319

We’ve been waiting all day for the rain and it’s arrived after dark, in torrents. The wind has been blowing strongly, bending trees over, waving branches, bits of twig falling on the road. There is almost a stream of water rushing past the back door. The noise of the rain drumming against the window.

In the UK we don’t have long months of cold rain or months of sunshine. We are at a position in the world where weather comes at us from all different directions. From the East we get freezing winds and snow, from the South, warm winds and heat, from the West, Atlantic storms, or high pressure keeping frost and calm weather over us, and from the North, Arctic winds and snow. And then all of that mixes up and scrambles things even more. Makes for an interesting life!

Staffordshire Oatcakes with blackberries and lemon mousse

Posted on December 10, 2019December 10, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blackberries, Dessert, Food, Honey, Lemon juice, Life, Recipe, Staffordshire, Staffordshire oatcakes, Stoke-on trent, Tasty2 Comments

It doesn’t look much but I wanted to use up some blackberries and I also wanted to get some vitamin C. I rolled up the blackberries in the Staffordshire Oatcakes. I added a sprinkle of sweetener that I cook with. Then I drizzled honey and lemon juice over the top and heated them in the microwave for a couple of minutes. Topped with half a tub of lemon mousse which needed using up. I’m used to Oatcakes with savoury fillings like cheese but these were sweet and tasty!

Trust me

Posted on December 10, 2019December 10, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Hospital, Leg, Life, Mystery, Robot, Sci fi, Short story, TechnologyLeave a comment

sketch-1575990422620

She woke to a bright light shining overhead, blue curtains round a metal bed. The smell of disinfectant in her nostrils. Why was she here? She looked at her leg, a metal cast was round it. Bolts stuck put at the top and bottom near her knee and ankle. She realised she had a cannula in her arm. What else? No visible windows, just the all pervading glow of light. No sound of anyone moving, no drink on a cupboard next the the bed. She felt thirsty, hungry even, no idea what time it was.

She looked round for a push button or a pull cord to get attention, nothing. She called out ‘Hello? Can someone help?’

Silence… She felt tired and fell asleep. Later, she didn’t know how long, she woke again, strangely no longer hungry or thirsty. The cannula was attached to a big bag of pale blue fluid. She looked at her leg. Now it was wrapped in a plastic bandage, the splint or cast was gone? How, she didn’t remember time passing. She heard a sound, a human shape pushed through the soft blue curtains. She flinched as she saw the metallic face.

‘Trust me, I’m a Robot’ it said.

Awake 4. 29am

Posted on December 10, 2019December 10, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Awake, Breathing, Cold, Drop, Insomnia, Nose, Sleepless, Snoring, Snotty, TiredLeave a comment

1575952204232665361908813393792

In the kitchen, just wondering how to get to sleep. Have to wear a breathing mask at night, but when your nose is like a dripping tap things get awkward. You either push the mask aside and blow your nose, while getting the full force of the air coming through the machine like a cool hairdryer on full blast. Or you have to sit up, take the mask off fully and have a big blow, or combine it with getting a drink from the kitchen as your mouth is dry, which seems to encourage more mucus. I’m thinking of getting some hot lemon and honey again. It’s nice and soothing as my throat is sore too. Meanwhile the cat is sleeping in my chair so I don’t want to disturb him. The moon has sailed through the heavens and set and the fridge is making some weird crackling sounds. I guess I will have to listen to that for a bit in case it does something strange. I think it’s just expanding and contracting, it’s always been noisy since we got it. Now I’ve decided to pull it away from the wall a bit more so it gets better air circulation…. In the meantime the land of nod seems further away, my shoulders are tense and I need to go to an appointment at 9.15am. What’s the phrase I’m looking for? Cest la Vie? Something like that.

Giraffe

Posted on December 9, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Animals, Blogging, Earth, Endangered, Environment, Extinction, Giraffes, Life, Science, Time, WorldLeave a comment

received_371546276855574_optimized

Giraffes are close to extinction. People are shooting them! How selfish can you be? Elephants, Lions, Snow Leopards, Cheetahs, Rhino’s, White Rhino’s, Tigers and Gorilla’s and Orangutans, and monkeys and marsupials. So many animals that might not exist in a few years. Then there’s all the small mammals, fish, insects, cold blooded snakes and lizards, birds, amphibians. Not to mention Trees, plants and everything else you can think of!

You know who is driving this mass extinction, US! Humans, people, man, woman everyone.

We need to grab back our world and save it, now, before it’s too late and it’s gone….

Cutting paper

Posted on December 9, 2019December 9, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Cold, Life, Paper cutting, Photo, shivering, Snow, Snow pattern, White, WinterLeave a comment

FB_IMG_1575312093286

Do you ever fold paper into six and cut it up to make paper snowflakes? Thats what I did a couple of years ago. Then I duplicated it with my layout app. I did various iterations, this is one is favourite. I’m concentrating on old art work because I haven’t got the energy to draw or paint tonight. I will try and do more things in the next few days again. I also want to try and write some more poetry, but I feel jumbled up in my head…..

Words like winter, shivering, cold, spring to mind.

A few years ago

Posted on December 9, 2019December 11, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on watercolour, Art, Art work, Canal and rivers Trust, Canals, Design, Leaflet, Middleport pottery, Painting, Trent and mersey canalLeave a comment

FB_IMG_1575593767009

FB_IMG_1575734671459

Two paintings I did for a leaflet a couple of years ago. The first was of Middleport pottery, a split image of two areas of the pottery, done to fit the images onto the page. The second, a view of the Trent and Mersey canal showing a lock that barges travel through where the water level changes. Opening the gates allows water to flow through and boats to go up and down the canal.

Acrylic paint on watercolour paper. Used by the canal and river trust on their leaflet.

Sore throat

Posted on December 9, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Aches, Blogging, Cold, coughing, sneezing, Sore throat, TiredLeave a comment

Untitled68_001

I’m fed up. It’s that time of year and I’ve got a sore throat. Shakey, aching. I know I need to expect it, but it’s so annoying, I had my flu jab but this seems like more of a cold. It means I’m just sitting round, hoping it clears up soon.

Grr.

Mallaband-Brown

Category: Uncategorized