Hoe Down?

Posted on October 9, 2019October 9, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Barn dance, Dance, Fun, Jig, Music, Penkhull, Penkhull mystery play, Penkhull Village Hall, Pie and peas, Polka, Real ale, Shropshire Heroes, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, WaltzLeave a comment

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Who fancies coming to a Barn dance up at Penkhull village hall, Stoke-on-Trent on 19.10.19? It’s in aid of the annual Penkhull Mystery Play, next due to happen in July 2020. A huge community project that includes theatre, creative writing, music and FUN !

There’s dancing and spinning, hornpipes and all sorts of mad frivolities at the Barn Dance. Plus pie and peas (and a vegetarian option), oh and yes there’s a real ale bar.

The band is the Shropshire Heroes and the caller is the inimitable Baz Parkes who cajoles and explains the steps of the dances, gets the right numbers of people to join in and encourages people to miraculous efforts, including me!

So if you happen to be in Penkhull on the 19th and you are feeling energetic, why not come along?

Phoenix, firebird

Posted on October 7, 2019October 7, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Colours, Design, Digital drawing, Fun, Illustrations, Magical, Mystical, Phoenix, Poem, Poetry4 Comments

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Burning brightly,

Coloured feathers.

Flaming heat

Re-makes a chick.

Nest of smoke,

Bower of flame,

Blooms of cinders….

New moon flits.

Phoenix rising,

In up drafted air,

Mythical beast

Bird so fair.

Singing workshop

Posted on October 6, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Drawing, Fun, One inch challenge, Penkhull, Penkhull Village Hall, Singing, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Urban sketching, WorkshopLeave a comment

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Quick sketch of people singing at a workshop today up at Penkhull village hall.

We sand lots of autumn songs, including old English songs and a poem set to music by the poet Lemn Sissay and musician Anni Tracey. We also sang a French song written in 1945 and translated into English called Autumn Leaves. It was by Joseph Kosma and Johnny Mercer with arrangement by Greg Stephens.

We got on really we and had a lovely time. The teachers Kate and Penny were very patient and helpful. I enjoyed it

Bowls

Posted on October 3, 2019October 3, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acorns, Bowls, Child's game, Conkers, Fruit, Fun, Historic game, Horse chestnut, nuts, Oak, Squirrels2 Comments

It’s that time of year, who said “the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”?

A glut of pears, a bowl of acorns and a plate of conkers and pinecones. If we were hunter gatherers this would be a bountiful time. Nuts and fruit. Perfect.

Nowadays the squirrels eat the acorns. Carefully burying them in caches in the woods to eat in winter, and creating baby trees in the meantime. Children harden conkers in vinegar and play Conkers with them. Holes are drilled through them and a knotted string is threaded through. Each child takes it in turn to swing their conker and try and smash another child’s one. If they succeed they can call their conker a ‘one-er’ smash two and it’s a two-er etc. Until the winning conker has smashed all its opponents. The last bowl – of pears? Well they are nice, poached with custard or cream, baked in a pie or even a cake, and apparently you can eat them on a pizza with gorgonzola cheese!

Second day drawing

Posted on October 2, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Coaster, Drawing, Fun, Life, October, One inch challenge, SketchLeave a comment

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What to draw? It was five past midnight and I decided to draw a coaster on the table which has a picture of a ship and a yatch on it. A coaster on a coaster! But now I’m not sure if I should not have done it. I could have done something later today…. Oh well, it won’t be the last drawing I do in this challenge.

Drawing challenges

Posted on September 30, 2019September 30, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Challenges, Design, Drawing, Drawing diary, Fun, inktober, Life, One inch challenge, Pen and ink, Pencil2 Comments

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In October there are a few challenges to get you drawing. The first is Inktober. You can find various challenges based on this theme on the Internet. Each one is based on doing a drawing a day for the month of October. People use a hash tag, #Inktober2019 is this years I think. There are suggestion on what to draw, for instance halloween themes or autumn. These can also be found on line.

The second challenge is the one I may be doing. This is the one inch drawing challenge. You draw thirty one, one inch squares and do a tiny drawing a day. My only problem? I don’t know if I’ve got a ruler to draw the boxes!

Craft fair

Posted on September 29, 2019September 29, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #market_@_48, Art, Craft fair, Eleanora street, Fun, Potbank Hotel, Spode, Staffordshire, Violin, Weather2 Comments

Well, it rained. As you can see from the photos. Even so it was good to do the craft fair at spode today. I met some lovely people who were very helpful despite the fact I was having a bad morning. I’d arrived after very little sleep and getting up later than I intended.

It was lovely to hear classical music being played by a violinist, he was really good. Sadly I didn’t get his name.

I didn’t do that well. I don’t know if I was too close to the door, or if my art was not trendy enough. I sold a few things and some people took cards with my details on. I am shattered but happy. I may not have made a fortune, but made some good friends.

Cat and Cucumber

Posted on September 28, 2019September 28, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Cat, Cat doorstop, Courgette, Cucumber, Fun, Kitchen, Life, Microwave, PlantsLeave a comment

My cat on top of the microwave, despite putting stuff on it to try and keep him off, and a cucumber it courgette growing in the kitchen window ledge. It’s like a greenhouse in there. Grown from a random seed planted a couple of months ago. I saw the flower yesterday and it was open this morning! The cat behind it is a metal doorstop, I put it there agas ago and liked it so left it there.

I think I must be content with chaos.

Flat back pottery

Posted on September 27, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, British ceramic biennial, China Halls, Clay, Design, Fun, Life, Pottery, Spode site, Staffordshire, Stoke, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

The British Ceramic Biennial has some hands on workshops that are free and open to the public. Last week I made a flat back pot using a mold of a boat with Donald Trumps head in profile and a pair of boots walking in the other direction. There is also a lion with a union jack, a monkey, and other figures and plants. There are other pots shown above. Each of them has been designed by an artist, so they are possibly controversial, maybe a bit tongue in cheek.

Today I painted glaze on my pot that had been fired. I didn’t remember to take a photo of it, but I have taken photos of some of the larger pieces now they have finally been fired.

I’m glad I had a go, it’s definitely worth a visit.

When I start I can’t stop….

Posted on September 25, 2019September 25, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Blogging, Car, Design, Fun, Humour, Painting4 Comments

Another start, luckily I don’t need a starter handle to get going. Something switches on in my head and I suddenly can’t stop. It’s weird, my mind must be wired up in a strange way.

Today I have started painting a lion, a car, ivy, a planet, a latch for a gate. All very random, but a challenge to myself. I have a little cartoon at my studio which says I will paint anything, and I think that’s true. I might not be able to get things exactly right but I do try.

I’m thinking about what to write or paint here. I will try and do a few more spooky stories when I’ve finished this lot of art work.

Toot toot, off I go!

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Fun