Art…

Posted on June 15, 2020June 15, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Architecture, Art, Biology, Design, Drawing, Essential workers, Mechanical design, Medicine, Non essential workers, Online design, Pictures, Science, Sunday Times article, Technical drawingLeave a comment

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The Sunday Times newspaper has run an article which compares essential and non essential workers.

Their survey had a list of images, essential has doctors I think at the top, and artists at the top of non essential jobs. So it says artists are the least essential workers?

I feel this argument should be challenged.

So no one ever designs things using their artistic skills, or paints scenery, or designs art for their walls, or cars, or wallpaper, or covers for books, or diagrams for science books, or medical textbooks. Or designs for online gaming art, or creating beautiful jewellery, or clothes or shoes. Or patterns on China and pottery. No art is used in news papers to show images of essential or non essential workers, how could anyone be employed to illustrate anything? No one ever read a cartoon or a children’s book! Obviously……! No one ever drew rainbows for the NHS. Children don’t need art to learn how to understand biology or architecture or any other complex concept. Richard Feynmann and Steven Hawking never used pictures to explain their theories of quantum mechanics. What about technical drawing? But… statues are now grey boxes, Leonardo is a turtle…. And he was never drawn!

Today’s challenge, water or washing

Posted on June 14, 2020June 14, 2020 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Art, Charity, Drawing, Drawing challenge, Drinking water, Ideas, Sketching, Tap, Thinking, WaterLeave a comment

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It was another drawing challenge with Stoke Urban Sketchers, but I think it means more than that…. I am privileged to live in a country where we have sufficient rain, most of the time, to fill our needs. Last year we decided to have an outside tap fitted. It means that if there is drought we can use watering cans and a hose to water the garden. Ideally we need to fit a waterbutt to become more self sufficient. Drawing a tap is significant, a basic I sometimes take for granted.

The need for fresh water is a desperate problem across a lot of the world. There are charities you can donate to including Wateraid which is trying to bring fresh water to some of the poorest countries in the world.

So I’m just suggesting making a small donation. Each tiny drop of water from many people can turn into a torrent if enough of us give. If you can wash your hands it aids the health of people, the ability to grow crops and reduces famine and disease.

The cat sculpture is happy

Posted on June 13, 2020June 13, 2020 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Art, Blacksmith, Commission, Design, Etruria forge, Happy, Pleased, Sculpted Steel, SculptureLeave a comment

The cat sculpture by Charis Jones, of Sculpted Steel based at the Forge at Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, has settled nicely into the greenery of our garden. It stares out from between geraniums and lilies. The light glints on its glass eyes and shows off the lovely green coppery finish.

I don’t commission art very often, but Charis translated my two dimensional drawing into a remarkably beautiful cat. Proud and purrfect. It’s crinkly whiskers full of character. I’m pleased to possess it.

Circles, today’s USK prompt.

Posted on June 11, 2020June 11, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Art, Circles, Drawing, Dream catcher, Ellipses, Life, Mobile, Mug, Objects, Rings, Sketching, Urban sketchers Stoke on trentLeave a comment

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I just had to find circles to draw for today’s Stoke on Trent urban sketchers challenge. I hope ellipses count as tipped up circles. In that case there are rings, a mug, a dream catcher and a mobile in this sketch… If not I guess the dream catcher and mobile in the window count. Black ink on cartridge paper. Next drawing due Sunday I think….

Dorothy Clive Garden.

Posted on June 10, 2020June 10, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged 2018, Art, Day out, Dorothy Clive garden, Drawing, Fun, Gardening, Pictures, Plants, Sketching, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, VisitLeave a comment

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This was my drawing of the Dorothy Clive Garden on 6.5.18. It’s recently reopened but with a booking system so you have to book morning or afternoon slots to visit. There is a self service system at the cafe. I hope we can go one day next week if the weather improves, after a month or more of sunshine we have been having rain for the last few days. Good for all gardens including the Dorothy Clive.

It will be lovely to see different landscapes, beautiful flowers, and peaceful water features.

When you draw a place you are interpreting the world in a different way to simple photographs. That’s why I enjoy it. Trying to tame nature and describe it.

LOTR drawings

Posted on June 10, 2020June 10, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Blogging, Characters, Computer, Digital drawings, Digital portraits, Fun, Lord of the Rings, Portraits, Sketchfu2 Comments

About ten years ago I was doing a lot of drawings at sketchfu. I did a series of drawings there of the Lord of the Rings characters. These are three of them. I also drew one of Gandalf, but I can’t find it on my camera roll.

Digital portraits. I’m hoping when I get a new wacom tablet I will be able to do more art like this.

Still struggling with the online course I’m doing, I’ve had a few problems today. I had to download a fix for something and ended up in a mess. I sorted it out but it cost me time to download what I needed. If only computers were simple.

Local drawing

Posted on June 10, 2020 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Art, Drawing, Life, Local, Penkhull, Penkhull Church, Pictures, Sketching, Urban sketchers Stoke on trent2 Comments

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As I was busy yesterday I missed doing a drawing of something local that was the prompt from stoke urban sketchers. I wanted to do a picture of somewhere a bit further away as my local pottery is not the most exciting image and I’ve already drawn it.

This is Penkhull Church at the top of our hill. It was built in the Victorian era and it is a lovely piece of architecture and centre of the community. It needs some restoration, which has partly been done but as with everything old work needs to continue on it.

If you ever feel like donating I’m sure there is some sort of fund that donations can go to. I don’t know exactly where.

Lots of activities are held there, from services, music festivals and the yearly mystery plays. The local theatre group has held musical evenings there too.

Anyway I might do the next challenge tomorrow. I’m not sure what it will be. Looking forward to it.

This was I

Posted on June 9, 2020June 9, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Books, Canal, Canvas, Cat, Drawing, I, Illustration, Me, Painting, Poem, Poetry, Pottery, Radiography, Spode6 Comments

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Where I live,

Who I am,

What I do,

How I think,

Where I work,

My companion,

What I trained as,

My books,

My life,

My I.

My me!

Got some new canvases.

Posted on June 8, 2020June 8, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Artists block, Canvases, Fun, Garden, Landscape art, New canvas, Painting, Pictures, Want to paint the gardenLeave a comment

Excited to have got some new canvases. I hope to get out in the garden and paint from real life. The weather is not really good enough for it at the moment. We are having heavy showers so I would need cover to keep dry. If the weather improves I will try….

One day I might be able to exhibit my art again and I would like to have some new work ready for that.

I’d say ‘watch this space’ , but it might be better to say ‘don’t hold your breath!’

Necklaces

Posted on June 8, 2020June 8, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Blogging, Design, Fused glass, Glass, Glass necklaces, Inspiration, Jewellery, Random, Wire weavingLeave a comment

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I got some of my necklaces back from a gallery that closed down last week. Most of them are quite chunky. I had a few small ones that were being made (my friend does wire weaving) but with the lockdown I haven’t been able to get some of them back.

I promised a couple to friends and I’m very disappointed they haven’t been able to have them yet. It’s only because of covid 19 that I haven’t been able to pass them on.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Art