New paintings and regular art updates.
How do you waste the most time every day?
Too much stuff to see
Glance, read, what was that?
View, like, heart,
Glance, worry, comment.
Distracting dopamine
Images, words, notes,
Got to stop, put it down
Doomscrolling
Not a good way of looking
At the world…
Which food, when you eat it, instantly transports you to childhood?
My favourite biscuits when I was a child were custard creams, a layered sandwich of two biscuits with a creamy vanilla layer in the centre. You would twist them apart and lick off the filling, then dunk the biscuits in a cup of tea, carefully soaking them and eating them before they got too soggy and fell apart.
Sometimes mom would buy a crispy slightly oatier version with a lemony centre to it which would be eaten in the same way.
Just reading the prompt took me back to our living room, sitting at the dining table with a China cup and saucer and matching plate. Milk jug and teapot. The biscuits were eaten after heinz sandwich spread sandwiches on white bread.
I also remember the rusty orange settee and the wallpaper with tiny rosebuds and ribbons printed on it.
Dad bought home a wallpaper book once, full of swatches of paper patterns in various colours. So exciting to look at.
Describe one of your favorite moments.
One of my favourite moments is collecting my hanging baskets from a local nursery. Today (yesterday now) I did that. It was my birthday treat. I ordered 6 this year instead of 8 so I bought some extra plants for the walls and ground. I was really pleased with them. Luckily my sister was over for a visit so she helped me hang them. And that was a favourite moment.
If humans had taglines, what would yours be?
Artistic Cat lover?
First I had to ask Google what a tagine was!
A tagline is a short, catchy phrase or memorable sentence that encapsulates the essence of a brand or product. It’s often used in advertising and marketing to convey the key benefits or message associated with the brand, helping to create brand awareness and recognition. Think of it as the brand’s verbal logo, simple, memorable, and impactful.
Key features of a tagline:
Well I’m not a commercial business. I don’t think I’d personally like a tagline. But Artistic Cat lover sort of fits the bill. Both of these things have been part of my life for almost all of my existence. I’m not promising anything, I’m not selling anything, and I hope what I’m saying makes sense. X
List three books that have had an impact on you. Why?
Youngest influence? Old Yeller. I was at Junior school and read about a boy whose dog catches rabies. It was frightening and sad and tender. I don’t remember everything about it but I learnt about American society. I think Disney might have made a film of it.
The next was the Plague Dogs, written by Richard Adams who also wrote Waterside Down. Two dogs escape from a laboratory in the Lake District, called Snitter and Rawf, it’s about their desperate journey across wild moorland to try and escape to a better life. It’s full on dark adventure. Emotional and sad.
The Third one was when I was at college. It was the handmaid’s tale by Margaret Attwood. Yes it was on bookshelves in the 1980’s. It’s story was frightening then. Now it’s almost prescient.
Yes they influenced and informed me and it’s about time I read them again.
Describe one simple thing you do that brings joy to your life.
I love painting (oils, watercolour, acrylic) , drawing, digital art, printmaking, pastel and charcoal drawing. Pottery, jewellery making, creating fused glass. Collage, scenery painting, illustration, photography and more.
I’ll try and do anything once. I’ve even tried drawing with boot polish and had a go at melted wax art. (I’m quite old and don’t like getting bored). Even had a go at brass rubbing once!
What quality do you value most in a friend?
Kindness in friendship is important. You don’t have to have money to be friends but it’s good to care. People need kindness and compassion.
When you are in a bad spot having someone be willing to give you a hug can really help. Being understanding and non judgemental is important. You can say the wrong thing but be forgiven.
Time passes and life changes, people die and kindness helps. Thinking about it I needed peoples caring and kindness so much over the last few years. Thank you to them and I hope I can give some of it back.
What does freedom mean to you?
Freedom should go hand in hand with equality. The right to speak out about problems in society, to try and eradicate things like torture and violence and wars. To reduce poverty and share resources and responsibilities more fairly. And also allow religious freedom as long as it doesn’t discriminate against others.
I know it’s impossible. Human behaviour makes selfishness and greed almost impossible to avoid. But we should try. Some rich people create foundations to make their wealth go to the poorest, the most needy. They show up the other wealthy millionaires and billionaires as people stifling equality and freedom.
Freedom is the ability to learn. To understand, to share knowledge. To show we are more than bluntly uncaring primates. Perhaps our anticedents with simpler lives may have been happier than modern humans can ever be. I am a naive idealistic person but I do care.
What is your career plan?
Playing mahjong
I’ve worked long and hard
Given work some welly
Retirement would be fine
I mean resting and learning
New things.
I’m semi retired now
But I’m below retirement age
Which keeps moving on
I would have retired four years ago
Except they changed the rules…
Ah well at least I can.
What’s something most people don’t understand?
I’ve been wondering what to write for this prompt, and I realise that apart from basic addition (arithmetic) people struggle with calculations and formulas.
I was dropped down into the CSE group when I did maths at school. In the end that did me a favour. The exam was like a normal lesson and I got an o level pass.
I just about understood quadratic equations but never liked having to go through the stages of the calculations. I could follow logarithms, but never did calculus. My understanding of sine, co-sine and tangents left something to be desired.
But at least I understood numbers. There is something like dyslexia that some people have, it’s called dyscalculia. As people become aware of it, it might explain why they struggle.
Mallaband-Brown