Trike – restored

Posted on October 14, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged 70 years old, Brian Rourke hand built cycles, Burslem, Cycling, Happy, Repair, Tricycle, Trike, White Wall tyres, Worth the moneyLeave a comment

The trike is restored! Very pleased, my hubbies tricycle was damaged last week when he turned. One of the back wheels had buckled! The tyre and tube had come off but the tube was still inflated.

We rang a couple of bike shops and were advised to contact Brian Rourke Hand-built Bikes in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent.

We gave them a ring and were told to bring the trike in. When we got there, there was a lot of sucking of teeth and questioning if they could do it? But yes, they would see what they could do. Then on Monday they rang, they couldn’t source the right size wheels, (26″), so they suggested it might not be worth fixing, which was understandable. But I argued that it was a historic machine. It had been ridden in time trials and my hubby had come third in a 25 mile time trial about thirty years ago. It would be a challenge. Also they could maybe use 700c wheel rims and spokes instead? Cue chat with the mechanic. Yes they would order them in.

Yesterday we had a phone call, the trike was done! It’s got 700c rear wheels built onto the original hubs, 32 spokes per wheel. The other back wheel was eaten away with rust so they replaced that too. Also a new 26″ wheel on the front (it has less spokes than the back wheels so they could source that). The wheels are all Mavic. New white walled tyres and tubes on 1 3/4″ rims. Also a new front side pull brake. It cost a lot, but it was worth the money. Call it my anniversary present to him.

No recognition.

Posted on October 10, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Article, Burslem, Image, Mural, Newspaper, Painting, Recognition, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, The Leopard Hotel2 Comments

Its aa little thing, but my painting of the Burslem Riot is on the back of a friends book. She’s in the newspaper today and you can clearly see my image on the back of her book. The problem is the article is about the local dialect which she writes about, not about my painting. So I guess I can’t complain. But my images do crop up and I don’t get recognition. I should have put something up where they are on display (in the now closed Leopard Hotel in Burslem), but I didn’t think about it, and then I didn’t organise it, and now it’s all locked up. Thinking if putting a letter through the front door infroducing myself as the artist who painted them. I hope they don’t get ripped out!

My mural of Molly Leigh

Posted on August 23, 2020August 23, 2020 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, Back room, Burslem, Closed, Life, molly leigh, Mural, Painting, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, The Leopard Hotel, WitchLeave a comment

Molly Leigh was said to be the Burslem witch. She lived in a small cottage, a photo of which I based this picture on. There are no photos of her so I tried to find a painting of an elderly woman from about that time and chose a picture of a French peasant by Theodore Gericault as an inspiration. The plants in the background are meant to be foxgloves and different herbs in a garden I imagined to be full of things you could use for remedies. I didn’t find much out about her life, except she is meant to be buried in a local church yard with the grave orientated East West, instead of the normal North South way. We went for a walk and ended up in the graveyard, only to get told off by someone from the church who kept getting people messing about round Mollys grave. When we explained we were on a photo walk of Burslem and we didn’t want to do any strange rituals he was OK. The painting is set on a night of the full moon and I tried to make the sky atmospheric and spooky. I’m sorry people won’t be able to see my murals in the Leopard anymore. No doubt they will be painted over or removed.

Clarice Cliff mural

Posted on August 22, 2020August 22, 2020 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art deco, Burslem, Ceramics, Clarice Cliff, Design, Leopard closed, Life, Mural, My murals, Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire, The Leopard Hotel, Umbrella designLeave a comment

This the mural I painted at the Leopard of Clarice Cliffs Umbrella design. It is one of several murals I did. They were painted directly onto the walls, but as the original room had several large squares and oblong of flock wallpaper surrounded by wooden framing, the owners stripped the flock paper and covered the patches with lining paper. I then painted on that. For some reason people think the pictures are painted on canvas. They will get a shock if they try and take them down. They would have to remove a layer of plaster probably too…!

Two years ago

Posted on January 24, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Burslem, Emulsion on wallpaper, Leopard Hotel, Life, Painting, Pottery, Still lifeLeave a comment

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I was painting this a couple of years ago. It came out really well. I have a photo of the finished painting somewhere. It was called Ivy jug.

It’s not very often that you get paintings of pottery, I don’t know why, I guess it’s a strange type of still life…. FB_IMG_1579275623188

I have also done murals of pottery… _20191122_114525

It’s turning into a collection!

This is my painting.

Posted on November 26, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Burslem, Emulsion painting on lining paper, molly leigh, Mural, My copyright ©, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, The Leopard Hotel6 Comments

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Continuing the point about copyright, this is my painting of the Burslem witch, Molly Leigh.

Our local TV programme, Midlands today used the image of the elderly woman, (I based it on a painting by Theodore Gericault, of an elderly French peasant woman). I emailed them twice to point out it was my mural, but have not had any response back.

Last Friday I was interviewed by the Sentinel newspaper about this and a photo of my Burslem riot painting that the paper had used without crediting me. I don’t know when it’s du to be published, do it might already have come out.

Anyway. I keep painting.

Having a curry

Posted on November 20, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Burslem, Curry, Food, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

It hasn’t arrived yet so I’m just having a tonic water. We came out to sort out a meeting on Friday and because I’m still laid up with a cold I decided not to cook tea and order a curry instead.

I was inspired because my friend sent me a text ‘havin’ a curry, oh yes’ I think I took it as a challenge. I hope its good!

Contact!

Posted on November 7, 2019November 7, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Burslem, Emulsion paint, History, long time ago, Murals, Painting, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, The Leopard Hotel, The SentinelLeave a comment

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Because I put the post about my art on Facebook the editor of our local paper has contacted me. That was unexpected.

He’s possibly going to write a feature about the paintings. Now is not the time to get nervous (which I sometimes do).

Fingers crossed I can remember what was the meaning behind all the paintings, it’s a long time ago! If they do an article I will let you know.

My painting – on TV!

Posted on October 24, 2019October 24, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged ©, Burslem, Burslem witch, Copyright?, molly leigh, Murals, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, The Leopard Hotel, Theodore Gericault2 Comments

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I was just watching TV and saw this! My mural painting of the witch Molly Leigh who lived in Burslem and who is famous in the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The painting is based on a picture of a French peasant by Theodore Gericault. The cottage in the background is based on photos of her home.

It’s not the first time an image of one of my paintings has appeared in the media. A few months ago my painting of the Burslem riot was used in the sentinel paper, again without letting me know.

What can I do? How can I at least get recognition?

The little Goldmine

Posted on October 16, 2019October 16, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Arthur Berry, Artist, Burslem, Charcoal, Fun, Humour, Life, Painter, Pastels, Stoke-on trent, writerLeave a comment

Saw this in Burslem today. On the main road from Cobridge up to Burslem.

Arthur Berry was an artist based in Stoke-on-Trent where he produced pictures of everyday figures and landscapes with a style of his own. Charcoal and pastels are used to chisel faces out of blackness, strokes of grey and white float on top of murky reds to bring out the dark shapes of buildings.

Arthur was also a writer and poet. We attended several of his plays when they were performed at the Victoria Theatre in Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent in the 1980’s. We have a copy of a couple of his books. He was a very creative artist.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Burslem