Tag: Blogging

Old Brown furniture

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These photos do not do the wardrobe my grandfather made justice. I had taken photos of the handles and lock but not of the lovely thick walnut veneer thst covers it. The doors have two slices of veneer onbyhem so th a the pattern is in 4 quaters.

Grandad was a wonderful carpenter. He did work in churches and made lych gates. I dont know if I ever met him, because by the time I was old enough to know him he had passed away and grandmother had remarried.

I think though that I got a lot I my artistry from him. The wardrobe is old and scratched but still loved and used. I think we should all use old furniture, you don’t need to go all modern, refurbish it if you must, but save your money, and the planet!

When insomnia strikes

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My ears whistling that high pitched whistle again, last night it was sussing like a weathered shell held to my ear. Plus it’s gone cold  all of a sudden, the chill has reached my ankles, my knees, got up to get the duvet to snuggle in, then I was too hot…

Snoring from my partner doesn’t help, it builds up gradually, not too loud, but when you are trying to lie quietly it creeps up on you, can you sleep before it reaches peak snore?

So I go back to bed, snuggle under the duvet, elbow my partner in the ribs so he turns over, blow my nose to relieve the whistle…5 minutes, 10 minutes….no, pick up my book, turn to page 44 and start reading. It’s a science book, Richard Feynmann QED, trying to understand light waves or particles, quanta…..dozed offf…….zzzzx…CAT decides to jump up to get warm next to my back,,uh….drsf ,,gnnnh…she wakes me up running over my face!…..awake again I seek solace in my computer, check emails…write this…..no midnight trumpish tweeting where’s the coveeffee,,,,Gnnn, coffee,,decaff,,hot…….

Being me….

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I’m writing this because I haven’t really explored who I am. What my beliefs are and how I fit into the world of WordPress.

If you do follow me on the book of Face, or the instant telegram, you know I love posting original art, and I’m also quite opinionated when it comes to what’s going on in the world.

I am quite left wing. I don’t believe in the death penalty, I think all races should be equal (although they are not) yet! I think that people should have the right to use birth control, there are too many people and not enough resources. I do not think that 80 men should have as much money as the poorest half of the Earth’s population.  I try to be kind and polite and do not appreciate people trying to get the better of each other.

I am stubborn, and can be obstinate, I do try and listen to the other side of the argument though. However I sometimes push an argument hard and I know that can irritate people!

What else? Well you know I love art and all sorts of creativity. I’m trying to set up as an art business, but that’s not really what I am. I want to paint even if it doesn’t make money.

It’s your choice whether you follow me or not. I’m exploring poetry but I don’t pretend it’s good, and I don’t normally write prose. I’m surprising myself with how many ideas I have!

Clematis

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Clematis, blousy and purple,

or tiny and pink.

Growing up walls,

Along fences, up high.

 

Clematis, bell flowers,

Fuzzy seedheads,

Growing round trees

Up to the sky.

 

Clematis, spring and summer flowering

Now monumental,

Grown with great love.

Makes me sigh.

 

Clematis, old friend,

Newly open flowers,

Grow bud and petal,

You give me joy

Spode site progress?

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Spode site in Stoke is continuing to change,  the area up by the new hotel and visitor centre remain the same and work is almost completed on the hotel itself which is housed in one of the old Spode buildings.

Half of the site has been sold to a developer, this is the side closest to the A500 road. You can see the civic centre in Stoke across the cleared land.

The other half which is nearest stoke town centre will soon have more (larger) units for artists and creative’s to rent from Acava and the City council. The China halls that have been used for putting on the British Ceramic Biennial and also performances of plays, is still there but some of the more modern ancillary buildings have been demolished. As a studio holder its a strange experience walking through the site. It’s a bit of an excuse not to go in. But I must!

The visitor centre and the hotel both have cafes you can visit, and the visitor centre has recently been refurbished with a new exhibition space called centre space . I need to get organised and try and get an exhibition there.

I think the changes to the Spode site will be documented. It is go I to see it is not just being left to become derelict.

Gemma cat

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I was watching a video today and remembered one if our old cats, Gemma. Like the cat in the video she would ride round on my shoulders, and was determined to stay near me. I once visited a friend in the street and went in through the front door. I came out the back way after the visit and could not see her so I went through the entry (passageway) back to the front, and there she was, sitting on my friends doorstep, waiting for me.

We first met because she had been going to my friends house and eating the dog’s food there. I had recently lost my old cat, he had died of old age, so I agreed to take her. We booked to have her neutered but she was pregnant. She was fine up until the birth but did not bite through the umbilical cords, When  we got up in the morning the kittens had been born, but one had died. It was a shock as I had not realised there was a problem. We were saddened by the kittens death.

As there were three kittens left we kept two and gave one away. This was because it was an odd eyed white cat, and we didn’t think living by a main road would be good for it.

Her two kittens, a male and a female lived with us too. All of them lived long lives, I think they had a good life with us.

Anyway we had not realised how bright Gemma was. I have a painting I did of her from a photo. If I was outside with her and tapped one side of the gate post she would jump across the gap to me. She was so good at it that I could take a photo of her in mid air, this was the basis of a painting called Gemma leaping.

Her happiest spot was sitting in the sun on the window ledge upstairs. This is my favourite cat painting, and most loved image if her.

Howl

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Howling against the wind,

The wolf sits atop the mountain.

Moon shines down on glistening snow.

Quelling fear I walk on,

In darkness amid the trees.

 

Wolves leap along the track,

Their green eyed glow, reflected by my torch,

Stay to one side of me

Fearful of the stranger in their realm.

 

Howl back at the moon,

Step quiet in the dark,

Leave fear behind in the old town,

Come out and see the shining stars

And howl against the dark.

 

I dont live in a country with wolves, but a lot of the stories about them attacking are apparently mythical. However I would not want to be bitten by one, they could carry diseases like rabies. Wolves are powerful predators, they are pack animals and follow a dominant male and female pair. I would love to see a real one in the wild, but not in captivity. I saw the pelt of one at the weekend at a Saxon reinactment. I hope it was old and historic and not a recent purchase.

Howling against the dark and wind feels like how it would be, icy cold, your breath turning into ice crystals. The feeling of wide spaces and high hills. Freedom, Beauty, life.

Twins drawing.

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One thing you can do with digital art is change your ideas. These three drawings are all  worked on from the dot drawing I initially started with. Not exactly joining the dots, but smudging them together and changing the consistency of the pens from plain to metallic.

The app I was using was a galaxy apps called ArtRage oils (free) and Layout which is linked to instagram.

Being creative means I like playing with different techniques. I remember the thrill I got when I first saw a drawing package at a radiography conference.  It was a big screen to draw at, with a large computer to control it all. I could see the potential for art even then. This was in the 1980s and things have come on massively from then. I think the stall holders at the conference were surprised by what I could do.

These drawings are very crude, but they are effectively finger paintings. Even with a stylus they are not exactly good. Other drawing packages on proper graphics tablets can be phenomenal. Here is an example of a drawing I did on one of them….

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It’s still crude, but there are many more tools to use to get different blending. I think this was done in Photoshop on my wacom tablet. Im considering doing more of this, the trouble is my little tablet is too versatile and I don’t have to so at a desk and keyboard to use it. I guess it’s a case of what effort I want to put in.

Cheers x

Iterations

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Take a drawing, a few dots on a page and turn it and multiply it, change the colour balance, then use another tool to swirl it, crop a shape from it, then place each next to each other to get a final picture.

These are iterations, each one a slight change,  adding to the complexity of the images. Sometimes multiplying can loose detail as the patterns start to merge because the pattern shrinks each time, which is why I like to change the colours and the hues of the drawings.

I don’t have a favourite

I just like the way things evolve.

I copy you,

And change you,

Multiply and stretch you,

Your face changes slowly,

Gives each picture a twist,

A new flavour,

Changing fruit to jam,

Seed to flower,

Growing each time,

Like bacteria, multiplying,

Mutating,

Evolving. ….

 

Two cats together…

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This was what I saw when I got up this morning. Two cats together, going about their business, looking out for birds or squirrels. Not a care in the world. I wish I had their life!

The thing is I have to leave them a space to sit in because they just knock things off the cupboard if I don’t. I have had broken glasses and side plates to prove it.

They don’t go out so I guess it’s fair enough, but both of them don’t like going out. They will look out the front door but if a car is driving along the street they dart back in. I’ve never known such scaredy cats!

Anyway, they continue to thrive, despite not being allowed out. Maybe one day if I can get them in a harness? But I doubt that would work………..!