My hosta has flowered and the slugs have left it alone. Yippee!
Hosta!
Tag: Photograph
Another Spode window?
The bottom of the stairs at the studios at Spode. The windows have been revealed after boards have been taken off them. Unfortunately my hands shake and I should have tried leaning on something to support the camera. But you get the idea of how the history of the place is there, sadly likely to disappear in the chaotic entropy of decaying historical buildings. I might well paint this. I love the peeling paint!
Too much?
Pictures behind pictures, a wall full of images. The chimney brest is concrete so it took an effort to get the nails in!
It also has a mantlepiece with lots of ornaments, mainly cats. I’m not proud of my clutter, but I’m attached to it. I took a monochrome photo because the colours are a bit riotous!
Are you a clutter nutter? Do you ‘collect’ or ‘hoard’? I’m on the verge, I might slip into hoarding soon, but recently I have been trying to declutter. It’s not a rapid process. But I’m trying.
Weighed
In the washroom at Spode studios site. A series of plants and objects are clinging to life on the old brick windowsills. I like this in particular. The two ceramic pots just look right sitting on top of the weighing scales. The frosted glass sets it off. It’s OK in the summer but in the winter it’s freezing. The plants still survive though.
Skyline
One way to emphasise something is to get down low so the object or objects show up against the sky. Usually the idea is to have two thirds sky to one third land, or vice versa, but this is split halfway. The spiky seed heads show up nicely and there is subtle colour and texture in the bottom half of the photo. Sometimes I will choose portrait orientation but this was definitely best in landscape.
Plant silhouette
On a windowsill in Spode. The plant fits in with the background of a metal window frame and frosted glass. The buildings outside are hidden from view. The old teapot adds to the ancient feel of the image. It just needs a spiders web to make it really spooky.
Robin Hoods Bay
When we stayed at Robin Hoods Bay and I came home with Shingles!
This was eight years ago, time goes so fast! We stayed in an upside down house with the lounge on the top floor so you could see the sea view. There was a very steep staircase and the hill the village is built on is very steep too. There is no parking on the main road through the village down to the sea so you have to park at the top and walk up and down to get to the house down a little side lane. I painted the view while I was there, sitting in sunshine looking out, enjoying the view…
Textured sunset
I put a sunset photo through the photodirector app (styles) and liked this result. The effect seems to be like oil on water, fluid but blocky. The colours are subtly concentrated in patches and the line edges are more curved.
There are about seven options for textures so I went through them all to choose the one I liked best. Some of them are more smudged than others.
Boat house
There it sits, down by the lake. How old is it? Are there boats still moored inside? A life belt is still attached to the back wall as the wood gently greens and rots… .
I’ve never been down the steep steps to the shore, it’s green and slippery and there is no handrail. If I was young I would explore. The reeds and rushes are starting to grow up, and no doubt moorhens or coots will be nesting there soon. Chicks still waiting to be laid in their eggs. There are Canada geese about. Life is renewing.
Obelisk
By a lake, an old obelisk. No inscription except carved trysts, g+j, p+b? How old are they? The letters are neatly carved, so I would guess early twentieth century, when people were taught to be neat (even when defacing this!). I guess they will be related to the owners of the hall? I would have taken a close up but other people wanted to take photos. Perhaps we will go back and investigate more. There may be details on the websites. Whatever it signifies or memorialises, it is a strong statement on the hill above the lake….
Mallaband-Brown 