Teasel looked like something
from the little shop of horrors!
Laughing at us
As it waved in the breeze.
The spikes were sharp.
So who or what
Took a bite from it?
Who knows?
Teasel
Tag: Etruria
Never say bad art
When we went to the canal festival a few weeks ago we both sat and drew. My hubby did a quick sketch of the large chimney at the back of the museum. You can see that although he doesn’t normally draw he’s got the idea of perspective and the regular lines on top of the bricks are the iron bands supporting the chimney all the way up its length. He’s also included a roof and trees and a brick wall.
Art isn’t something he generally does. He will pick up an adult colouring book sometimes but he tends to colour in with lines rather than shading things in fully. I think that is because he has a lot of anxiety and his mind bounces about and he doesn’t settle to one thing. But he is willing to try. I think that’s important. Art should be for everyone. They might not be Raphael or Titian but who knows what might emerge? Art is, I think, very important to humans, for aesthetics or design, communication or lifestyle. Just do it! ❤️
Bubble
Awesome bubble created by a large hoop of string drawn through bubble mixture then wafted through the air. This was taken during Etruria Canal festival a few years ago. I love the filmy colours created because the thickness of the bubbles skin is only a few atoms thick and acts like a rainbow refracting the light. A bit like the thin layer of oil you sometimes get on a puddle that causes rainbow colour effects that swirl and create fascinating patterns.
Bay/ Bridge
#bandofsketchers prompt again… Today’s was Bridge/Bay. I did the white bridge at Etruria a few weeks ago, and a bay in Devon as part of my college work so I decided to draw a Bay horse instead. And why not. Felt pens again, two separate sets. I’m using ones that don’t bleed through to the other side of the paper as I don’t want to ruin other drawings…
Horizon
Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was Horizon. This was the horizon as I walked over the canal bridge at Etruria, Stoke on Trent, near the Industrial Museum.. Its mostly obscuring the houses behind. Felt pen drawing and fine ink liner pen. It was a lovely sunny day. Not drawn in situ but from a photo.
Mugs and Mojo
I painted these mugs with special overglaze paints about three years ago when our art group at Etruria were still meeting. We haven’t done anything recently because of Covid. It’s only when I look back at things like this that I realise I was doing so much more than now. It’s only when I remember these things that you know I am, or was, capable of so much more than I’m doing now. The designs were from my imagination. Painted directly, no sketching out first. Give me my Mojo back!
Etruria Flint Mill
I added my easle yesterday. Today I’m showing you my easle two years ago, I did a painting of Etruria Flint Mill. It’s also called Jessie Shirley’s Bone and Flint mill I think? It’s the only working Steam driven Flint mill in the country and the flints and bone were crushed and ground using the power of the steam driven beam engine there.
The buildings are part of Etruria Industrial Museum, a complex of cafe, the museum displays, and the Flint mill on the Trent and Mersey and Cauldon Canals at Etruria, Stoke on Trent. I’m not sure of its opening times. But once a month it used to be fired up and you could watch the fly wheel rotating round and the pans where the flints were ground rumbling as the engine turns them. Its amazing to see the industrial archeology of the potteries in action.
Sunflower in October
Standing tall
Tanding strong
Staked against
The blustery wind.
End of October
But you are
summer sun?
How did you survive?
Oh, no frost
No ice
Just warm winds
Dragged up
From the azores.
You are a late
Summer sun
Still in glory.
Reflected
You’re so shiny
I can see my face
Reflected in your paint
Chrome work polished
To a mirror like surface.
Silver and Maroon,
With black fittings
You sparkle in the sunshine,
Drawing admiring glances
But watch out for
Sticky toffee fingerprints,
Icecream smears
A day out of dangers
To your paint work.
Classic Morris minor
Not much to say about this. Classic Morris Minor with the classic green colour. They are lovely friendly looking cars. Probably made in the 1950’s? So nice to see it. Somewhere to go for an afternoon out. Etruria Industrial Museum today.
They steam the beam engine there once a month that ground the Flint for the potteries (that was yesterday) and they also had static steam engines running yesterday, but we couldn’t go because we were gardening.
Mallaband-Brown 