Part of paradise

Posted on June 2, 2019June 2, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Etruria, Etruria festival, Garden, Ladybird Su, Life, Paradise, Pop up garden, Potteries, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

My friend Su (ladybirdsu) has a op up garden at the Etruria festival. Blue boxes are laced in a geometric grid which is based on Islamic tiles. The whole effect is calming with a small solar powered fountain at the centre. Set on slightly sloping ground the whole piece sits on an unused part of the grounds between the Trent and Mersey Canal and the Cauldon canal. It is by lock 39 of the Trent and Mersey if you are looking for a specific location. It’s good to see art and history coming together in an effort to integrate the two.

Other projects in the area include greening Stoke, where areas of the town have had wild flowers planted and Spode Rose garden which has been more formally planted. In an age if climate crisis I think we need more of this work.

I would post other photos but I appear to have reached a limit on WordPress. I will see what I can do.

Opening night!

Posted on May 29, 2019 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, Artist, Blog, Centre space, Eleanora st, Exhibition, Fine Art, Life, Painting, Spode, Staffordshire, Stoke, Stoke-on trent9 Comments

Thank you to everyone who came to the exhibition. I think people enjoyed it. I will be putting up more photos if I get some. These are quick snaps but I’ve included all the paintings. The people at Centre Space gallery, Darren and Sarah, could not be more helpful. If there was a trip advisor for galleries (maybe there is) I would recommend them.

If you would like to see it it’s on till Sunday from 10.30am to 4.00pm at the Centre Space gallery, at Spode Site, Eleanora street, Stoke, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 1QQ.

More wobbly bricks

Posted on May 23, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, another painting, Art, Bricks, Landscape, Spode, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Wobbly bricks6 Comments

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Painting bricks is hard. Especially when the image is tiny. I’m trying to get this finished, but so many bricks, I don’t like drawing them out with straight lines, so each one is a bit wobbly. We shall see….

Also it’s hard to work off a phone. I need to get photos I’m working on printed off.

Plus, I need to leave bits of the painting out. I don’t want metal fencing on the picture, or the striped barrier. But I will add the hanging baskets and flower tubs.

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Exhibition

Posted on May 23, 2019May 23, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Centre space, Exhibition, opening night, Painting, Preview, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Stoke-upon-TrentLeave a comment

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Next week!

My exhibition. At centre space, the Spode Heritage visitors centre, Eleanora street, Stoke, Stoke-on-Trent

Preview night is on the Wednesday between 7 and 9pm. If you are around come along.

A year ago

Posted on May 20, 2019May 20, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Chatterley and whitfield, Countryside, Etruria, Fun, Gladstone, Life, Little Moreton Hall, Spode, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Urban SketchersLeave a comment

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A year ago I was outside Chatterley and Whitfield colliery drawing with the Stoke Urban Sketchers.

This year Stoke-on-Trent is hosting the United Kingdom Urban Sketchers annual festival from 7th to 9th June 2019! There may be a lot if sketchers descending on the city.

There is a lot of industrial archaeology and architecture here so I think people will enjoy it. Hopefully I will be able to get involved in it.

There are lots of places in Stoke-on-Trent and in the surrounding countryside which are worth drawing. I would love people to come here and fall in love with this city.

Six trees painting

Posted on May 17, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Avrylic on canvas, Bluebells, Colours, Rode hall, Staffordshire, TreesLeave a comment

Inspired by the Rode Hall bluebell walk we did a week ago. The vertical trunks that were so evenly spaced with the darker fence in front made a striking photo. I’m not sure if I’ve managed to capture that here. Bluebells are a difficult colour to capture. I tried mixing ultramarine with white, then when that didn’t work I used a bit of deep magenta, and also pale Windsor violet. I used a bit of metallic blue to give them a sparkle.

The trees are mainly sap green with yellow and white added.

About 12 x8 inches, acrylic on canvas.

Time to collect

Posted on May 12, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Blue, Centre space, Exhibition, Jupiter, Jupiter Blue, Painting, Planet, Spode heritage visitor centre, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

Time to collect my painting blue Jupiter tomorrow. Its been up for a month at an open exhibition in Newcastle under Lyme and I’m hoping people liked it. I think it will be up in my exhibition at centre space at spode visitor centre in a couple of weeks.

If you look at my art you can see I’m not painting to a theme. I just love images. I love experimenting and trying new things. I like challenging myself.

That’s exactly what I’m doing now.

Tyres

Posted on May 11, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Hartshill, Industrial heritage, Life, Painted sign, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, TyresLeave a comment

Photo of an old painted sign on Hartshill Road, Stoke on Trent.

I noticed it as we were walking down Hartshill and heading for Stoke. The paint is peeling and will be gone in a few years, but it clings on.

Part of an old industrial heritage in the city of Stoke-on-Trent which is gradually decaying.

Some places rejoice in their heritage. Manchester turned old warehouses into loft apartments. The Black Country museum in Dudley in the West Midlands has rebuilt old Victorian houses and workshops to create a living museum.

Somehow Stoke-on-Trent has got left behind. Yes there are glimmers of growth, but old houses get knocked down and are either not rebuilt, or when they are, are too expensive for people to buy.

I’m not completely sad about the place, it is unique, but it needs looking after, the people caring for, and caring about this wonderful city.

Monochrome, Sue Vincent’s #writephoto prompt

Posted on May 8, 2019May 8, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #writephoto, Half timbered, Hall, Knot garden, Life, Moat, Monochrome, National Trust, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Sue Vincent, Tudor3 Comments

I’ve been here

When I saw the prompt I knew the place, so we visited two days ago. I’m pretty sure it’s the same place. From the front you can’t see the size of the hall. You walk over the bridge over the moat. Through an archway into the courtyard.

Inside the house is dark and panelled in old oak. There are places where wall paintings are being restored and the old windows are fantastic. Up and down many stairs and spiral staircases you reach the long gallery. Beware the bees nesting at the bottom of the stairs though!

Then outside to the knot garden and main garden. These are hidden round the back.

All in all not Monochrome at all. And if you want to know where it is you will have to wait for Sue’s explanation. I won’t spoil the mystery (and I might not be right!)

Little Moreton hall

Posted on May 6, 2019May 6, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged A34 Road, Little Moreton Hall, National Trust, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Timber framed, Tudor, Visit, Wattle and daubLeave a comment

Tudor Little Moreton Hall. North of Stoke-on-Trent on the A34. It’s owned by the National Trust. Surrounded by a moat. It is beautiful and quirky. The long gallery was added slightly later than when the hall was built. It’s really worth a visit. There are also plant sales and a cafe.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Staffordshire