Scenery

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For years I painted the scenery for the Penkhull Mystery plays. This one was about the river Trent starting near Stoke on Trent and travelling towards Hull. Each year I would do one or two large sections of painting. The show would start rehearsals in March? And be on in July for one day only on the village green. I miss those days. The excitement as we prepared and made things. Brilliantly directed by Greg Stevens. And organised by him and Kate Barfield. It had everything. Music, acting, tragedy, comedy. Plus morris and molly dancing, a bower of song, a Maypole dance, eukelali players and choirs. I don’t suppose we will do it again?

Thanks to my friend Tim for the photo.

Chuffed with a Chough

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Artrage app drawing

Watching a TV programme about red beaked choughs. The presenter Jim Moir is painting one in watercolours. I found a watercolour style brush in the Artrage app and did a few layers. It’s made up because I was too busy struggling with this to watch what they actually look like! Also hard to erase where the pens have bled out too much.

Sea face

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Eight years ago I painted this. I based it on a broken terracotta wall plaque that I’d had on the wall outside but I think the frost split it. It sort of reminds me of the green man theme and I think I actually bought it in a green man shop in Pickering in Yorkshire….. It was an acrylic on canvas and I guess I must have sold it as I haven’t seen it for years? You can get inspiration from all sorts of places if you look.

Art competition

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Write about a time when you didn’t take action but wish you had. What would you do differently?

So many times I have missed deadlines for art competitions. I somehow freeze and lose confidence.

I think it stems from a college tutor who told me I would do badly and not get a good degree. I believed him and when I was successful I still questioned my validity. I come from a working class home and I didn’t have the self confidence to dismiss his opinion. I took three years to get over it and forever after I have felt some degree of imposter syndrome. I was once asked as l local artist to judge an art competition. It was so hard, I didn’t know what to do, whether I would disappoint people. The result was announced and I think people were pleased with my choice, but I felt great guilt!

It’s hard to think that those few words my tutor spoke forty years ago, sank deep into my heart. What would I be doing if I hadn’t listened to his poisoned words. I wish I knew then what I do now.

Face sketch

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Artrage sketch

Used as many tools as I could on the Artrage app to sketch this. It could be a design for a stained glass window design. I tried to make it look mediaeval. I wanted it to look translucent. Using different textures. I tried to keep the colours to the blue, green and purple side of the spectrum. I like using lines for this image. Blue eyes.

Chimneys

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Chimneys at Etruria Industrial museum

Looking down from the balcony of Etruria Industrial museum at the Jessie Shirley Bone and Flint mill. I’m not sure what building the large chimney is attached to.

Chimneys and bottle ovens were all over Stoke on Trent in the past. Many of them have been demolished and dismantled. The heritage of the potteries is gradually being destroyed. Maybe for better infrastructure, but our council seems to have fallen in love with multi storey car parks! Not exactly architectural gems I’m afraid.

If you want to find out more about chimneys and them being demolished, it’s worth looking up Fred Dibnah on Google, he was a fascinating man, a steeplejack that became famous blowing up old chimneys. Later programmes were made of him driving steam traction engines and discussing Industrial archeology.

Dying hedge

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Up until two years ago the hedge my garden hedge was fine and healthy but then unknown to us we got a leaking pipe in the garden. While the trees in the hedge prospered the hedge didn’t. The plants got straggly and untidy, a friend cut part of it back but it didn’t regenerate. Then last year a builder dumped a load of rubble and rubbish in the alley running alongside the garden. Eventually after about six months the council bought a digger in to remove it, but the cut the hedge in half all the way along the path. Effectively removing all the green growth that overhung the pathway. We are trying to add roses and hedgerow plants like hawthorn, but it still looks like a gap toothed smile! You can see into the garden from outside. We also have hundreds of tree seedlings germinating probably because of light getting into the garden.

I went out for the first time in months today. I feel very unsteady and the garden paths are uneven, but I need to try and make an effort despite shaking like a jelly!