New paintings and regular art updates.
Say hello to a garden visitor that seems to have taken to us. He’s very friendly (basically because we feed him). The thing is he’s so big and sleek that I think he has a home but he knows he can visit.
That’s why we are sitting in the summerhouse, graced by his company.
I’ve decided to call him Woody.
25 years ago comet called Shumaker-Levy 9 collided with Jupiter and the world watched as 20 cometary fragments hit the giant planet.
Hubble space telescope saw the first large impact, then watched as the fragments continued to collide.
The planet was affected and material from below the cloud layers was thrown up into Jupiter’s upper atmosphere.
Scientists are looking for comets and asteroids that might hit Earth not Jupiter. We are lucky to have the outer gas giants because their gravity can stop some of them getting through to us!
Sandstone is a beautiful stone, soft and porous, it can be carved into fine shapes. But as this gravestone shows it also dissolves, especially in out acid rain environment. In this case the stone has turned black, probably from pollution, as Stoke-on-Trent was a very smoky place, due to the coal fired potteries. And yet the church is clean. I don’t know if it has been cleaned but it has had some restoration.
The lettering on the headstone is almost lost. Its almost as if a layer has peeled off. Gone but not forgotten? It depends on whether the family still exists, and whether they still live in the area.
Other stones in the graveyard are in worse or better condition. Some have been turned into steps, gradually wearing away under foot.
The clarity of my memory was funny, it came and went, but I felt certain that I had been on this beach, in this bay, before.
Perhaps it was the scent of the sea, seaweed, and the aromatic plants on the shore that took me back. Or the azure water, the sandy beach or the dark craggy rocks that caught in the folds of my memory.
Yes, the island in the far distance, in my memory I clearly saw a lighthouse there. Not visible here, but as you sailed out beyond the headland it would come into view, built of the hard stone that makes up the coast. On stormy nights it saved many a sailor, and its booming voice could be heard on foggy days and nights.
Now I remember with clarity why I was there. There is a cave just beyond the tideline. I’d been snorkeling in the bay and found a small chest, iron clad and rusted shut. The cave had seemed a good place to hide it. I was only eleven and it was exciting to hide a treasure chest. Plus my brother would have claimed it if I’d shown it him.
Now it was thirty years later, was it still there?
…….
The dubloons had bought me my yatch. Now I am free to visit the bay any time I want.
You might have seen or heard about the #faceapp doing the rounds on Facebook.
When I saw it I took the trouble of looking for the link because sometimes you can just input a photo to one of these ‘games’ and it will do whatever it does to change your image.
The results I’d seen looked quite sophisticated digitally and the results looked realistic making people look quite old. But why would I want to look at me as old… I’m already getting there thanks, add thirty or forty years to my face and it might not exist anymore! I didn’t want to post a skull staring back at me.
The app is one that you download and I thought, I don’t want to give away my image and information so I didn’t bother.
However I then found #notfaceapp on Facebook. A few people were posting their own images that they had done themselves. A sort of DIY faceapp. And some were just as they are, no alteration, and others had added props….
So here is my addition. As I said in the post this is with no flattering smoothing filter…
Want to see it?
I just decided to look at my stats at WordPress for this year. It’s surprising how many people from so many countries have taken a look at my page. Some of them are only one or two views. I hope people like what I write. I try and write about a broad range of subjects because I’m interested in such a lot of things. I try and write clearly and if I have an explanation for something I will try and include it. I had a good general education but you won’t find me writing about pop music or astrology. I don’t know much about cars or trains, but I will have a go at most things. I do try dabbling in poetry. It seems to help clear my mind. But most of all I’m an artist. I like experimenting with art and some of it turns out OK.
To people following me I want to say thank you. I do try and follow back and although I don’t always have time to look or comment it is good to be part of this community.
X
I decided to join three photos together and duplicate them as I see the joined photo as similar to a mandala. The pattern concentrates my mind and I see faces in the resultant image. The green/red and yellow/purple of contrasting colours makes it all the more vibrant.
I’m also doing this because I want to avoid getting my paints out! I’ve got a craft stall in a couple of weekends and I have to admit I’m prevaracating. I know I’ve got to do art but I’m not sure what to do. A bit of an artists block again. I think it’s because I’ve been doing so much lately that my mind needs a rest. I will be ok though, just taking a breather.
X
Last year we went to Apedale light railway and enjoyed a day looking at exhibits of the anniversary of the 1914/1918 War. These are black and white sketches I did. Such an interesting day I thought I would post some of them. Each one has people included. I don’t just draw landscapes if I can help it, I like to include little portraits. When I do urban sketching I will try and include people to give a sense of scale.
Water is a wonderful compound, and having rain from the sky is great. The only problem is that with the effects of climate change, rain isn’t always easy to live with.
Into each life a little rain must fall is a quote from a song I think . But in this world it falls either too much, or too little in some cases. There are floods in some countries, while others see no rain for years and deserts expand. Micro bursts of rain dump a mass of rain rapidly in a limited area while the surrounding area remain dry causing havock. We have thunderstorms here that are much larger and more violent than in the past and the same is happening all over the world. And rain also causes erosion which destroys cliffs and washes away soil. When man cuts down forests the ability of trees and plants to store water and allow it to be slowly released is diminished. Rain falls in places like the Amazon which help to regulate the weather systems of the world. Now that the goverment of the country is allowing more deforestation the concern is that the weather and rain patterns will be seriously or even catastrophically affected.
Man (and woman) need to take responsibility and keep this world safe for future generations. Rain gives and takes life.
For some reason our cast iron cat doorstop has ended up on the kitchen window ledge instead of on the floor. He peers out from behind the Christmas cactii. My kitchen is full of things that I don’t really need, like plants and ornaments. I need to get rid of some of them… Anyway I took the photo of him a few nights ago while I was downstairs getting a cool drink. The pink candle is one my hubby wants to float on the pond, although I don’t think it will do the goldfish any good..
Have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
