New paintings and regular art updates.
Some mini paintings including abstracts, I’m trying to get some work done for a small stall at Etruria Industrial museum in Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire this weekend. It’s the last steaming of the princess engine this year. I haven’t done anything for months but I finally got some miniature canvases so decided to have a go.
I’ve just got back from the local theatre, Claybody Theatre at The Dipping house, Spode Works, Church Street, Stoke upon Trent, Stoke-on-Trent.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable performance. It was set in 1967 on the Bentilee housing estate, on the edge of the city of Stoke on Trent. A city of potteries and coal mines and steel works that had since suffered industrial decline.
It’s late summer on the estate when several people see a bright glowing light in the sky that goes from red, to slightly greenish to a blue hue. It ended up on TV with locals talking about what they had seen, but no real explanation. (this was the era of science fiction programmes on TV, like The Invaders, or Space family Robinson and even Fireball XL5.)
What I enjoyed was the local knowledge. The speech was real Stoke on Trent accents, with a smidge of Durham and a twang of American or Irish.
I won’t go into detail with spoilers, but there is a mixture of 1960s memories, a touch of romance, a lot of local in jokes. It was useful knowing Bentilee estate, I have worked there. The comedy made the audience chuckle and laughter out loud. I do enjoy Deborah McAndrews writing. The play got a loud round of applause at the end. Good to see local friends who had come out to see it!
Tasty lunch, doubled portion (just flipped photos). It was very tasty with a fresh salad. I was taken out for lunch by my friends and I really enjoyed it. It’s been a while since I went out and socialised. I’ve been a bit up and down recently. This was at the Glebe pub in Stoke, Stoke-on-Trent.
What do you love about where you live?
North… Cheshire and Peak District, Staffordshire Moorlands, East – Derbyshire, South- Staffordshire, West – Shropshire and Cheshire. Further West – Wales. Also Stoke-on-Trent has good road links to motorways and A roads. Sometimes they are a little congested, but you can usually get out into the countryside in 10 to 20 minutes. It is interesting because of the variations in geology depending on the direction you take. Farmland and flat land South and West, with the hills of Wales and Shropshire in the distance. North and East hills and moorland including the start of the Pennines.
Stoke-on-Trent is situated in the North Midlands of England, it also has canal and train connections and the local area has many countryside attractions including National Trust properties, historic railways and museums, Alton Towers is nearby and Jodrell Bank observatory is a few miles north west. You can even reach the seaside in Wales or the Wirral in about 80 miles.
A memory of my cups and mugs a few years ago. Look at the bottom of them and you can often find out where they were manufactured. The image on the bottom is called the back stamp. There’s a lot of people in Stoke on Trent (also known as the Potteries), that check this out. They are called the turn over club? Sometimes you sneak a peak when your mug is full! A dangerous manoeuvre!
Clouds about 9pm 17.7.24 in Stoke on Trent, England.
Sun was starting to set and the light made the clouds sparkle. I don’t know what type of clouds they are, but I liked the view.
What a day! I went up to the Harpers Titchy Theatre event today. We held a small theatre in the round, with short two page scripts. Funny and poignant, thought provoking and hopefully memorable.
In addition a local author had a stall selling her books, we had various stalls selling knitware, tee shirts, some glassware, turned wood pieces, penkhull mystery plays memorabilia. Plus the obligatory raffle and tombola. I am currently drinking the raffle prize I won.
We were not only entertained by the actors, but also Ukelele players and Clay Chorus choir.
There were lovely cakes, scones, sandwiches and ice creams for sale. Plus tea, coffee and juice.
All in all it went really well. Hopefully enough funds were raised towards staging a full Mystery play event in Penkhull next year, which would be the twentieth anniversary of the community event.
I’m sad to say that I didn’t get my painting of Molly Leigh the Burslem witch into the three counties open exhibition this year. (Staffordshire, Cheshire and Shropshire).
I know they had over 200 entries and it depends who is selecting the works of art. I also know that the exhibition has to be cohesive and not too eclectic. So will I enter again? Yes, but I will probably choose to do something less specific. But I’m glad I painted this.
The reason why? I painted something similar to this as a mural in the Leopard Hotel in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, several years ago. The building burned down a couple of years ago and I wanted to try and recreate the memory of it. The painting means a lot more to me than getting it in this competition. X
Ten years ago, three horseheads of the apocalypse!
Up until Covid we were merrily holding Mystery Plays almost every July. We had a fallow year where we did other things, but the central play was missing. But now a group of residents are working towards a 20th anniversary performance in 2025.
So on Saturday 6th July 2024 we are holding a Titchy Theatre fundraising event to try and enthuse people to get involved for next year. The event will be in Penkhull Village Hall from 12.30 to 2.30pm.
We had fun creating props from willow withies and paper and glue. The horses were based on Picasso style ideas.
Wildflowers, on the pavement, Stoke. I can almost see green men in this duplicated image.
There are wildflowers springing up everywhere on pavements. I guess the local council aren’t spraying weeds like they used to. Hopefully the bees are enjoying these bonus flowers.
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