Exhibition at centre space.

Posted on April 20, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Centre space, Colours, Photo collage, Photography, Spode visitor centre, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

I had the pleasure of meeting an artist and photographer called Cyril Tilstone at his exhibition at Centre Space tonight. It is based at the Spode heritage visitors centre at spode site, Eleanora Street, Stoke-on-Trent. It started tonight and is on for a month.

His images are photo collages of bottle ovens or historic buildings like cherished chimneys at Longport. With interesting and intruiging compositions including things like chimney pots, doves, paintings by Joshua Reynolds and even marbles. The images are colourful and show the industrial history of Stoke-on-Trent in a new way. There are time travelling Dr Who characters dotted about. This is a gentle and gently humorous look at Stoke-on-Trent past and present.

I would recommend it to you.

Buddha

Posted on April 20, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Buddha, Enjoyment, Food, Life, Possible painting, Sawadee Thai taste, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Thai2 Comments

Having a good meal at the local Thai restaurant in Stoke. Sawadee Thai taste. I noticed how the Buddha there was beautifully decorated. Such a warm friendly atmosphere. I like the coloured garlands round his neck and the shiny baubles balanced on his knees. Buddhas seem to look so relaxed, calm, kind.

The food was lovely. The owner always cooks tasty meals, we really enjoyed it. This hadn’t meant to be a restaurant review..

The Buddha might get his portrait painted!!

Chimney

Posted on April 18, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Artists studios, Eleanora st, Photo, Spode, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

Chimney from a pottery kiln. The rest of the building was demolished but thus was left. Like the remains of a rocket due to fly to the moon, or a set dressing for a Sci-fi.

Outside the artists studios at Spode Site, Eleanora Street, Stoke-on-Trent. Staffordshire.

Jewellery

Posted on April 18, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Design, Eleanora st, Jewellery, Makers market, Spode, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Stoke-upon-Trent2 Comments

Glass cabochons with wire weave surrounds. These will be for sale at the Spring Makers Market at the potbank Hotel, Spode site, Eleanora st, Stoke-on-Trent. I will also be selling small and medium size paintings..

Peeling paint

Posted on April 16, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Life, Paint peeling, Photography, Spode, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Stoke-upon-TrentLeave a comment

I’m thinking of painting something like this. It’s a window in one of the buildings at spode. Goodness knows what the paint is made of. It is just so old. The wood looks dry and decaying. The putty holding the glass in is probably made with lead. Surprisingly the window looks quite clean and the building opposite is reflected in it. Capturing the detail will be a challenge.

Today at Spode site

Posted on April 15, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Crumbling, Dasies, Flowers, Industrial archeology, Life, Pansies, Peeling Wood, Photographs, Poem, Poetry, Spode, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Stoke-upon-Trent, WallflowersLeave a comment

Flowers and old wood

Blocked up windows and peeling paint.

Dasies and dianthus.

A history in brick and slate.

Clay and pottery.

Caged in but released,

Renewed and Revivified.

Pansies and wallflowers shining,

their sunlit faces turned to a bright, chilled sky.

Crumbling with asbestos innards,

But able to be proud again.

Timothy Trow memorial day

Posted on April 13, 2019April 13, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Choirs, Life, Local archives, Local hero, Memorial, Music, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Stoke-upon-Trent, Timothy TrowLeave a comment

Timothy Trow was a tram conductor who tried to save a young girl who had fallen in a local canal, he drowned while trying to save her. He is recognised as a local hero. Today, 13th April is the anniversary of his death.

I sang with two choirs to commemorate his death by the Memorial stone laid near to where he died on London Road, in the West End area of Stoke on Trent. Singing a song about his life by a local song writer. We then had went over to the local Methodist church, a decendant of the girl who was saved read a piece about the incident. The choirs then sang three more songs.

There were images selected by the local archives department on display inside the church. In all it was a very poignant day.

Bottle oven / pizza oven….

Posted on April 8, 2019April 8, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bottle kiln, Hotel, Life, Pizza oven, Pot bank, Pottery, Spode, Staffordshire, Stoke, Stoke-on trent, Stoke-upon-Trent8 Comments

A replica bottle oven is growing on the grounds of Spode at the moment. It’s going to be a pizza oven at the hotel on the Spode site.

Around the other side of Spode near the Church Street side is the base of an original bottle oven which had been demolished years ago. There are very few real ovens still standing in the city. Many were knocked down or fell into disrepair over the years. Where hundreds once stood and smoke stained the city sky less than fifty are still standing and many of these are in danger of being lost to the history of the city, county, and country.

Even now buddleia and other shrubs are growing in between their bricks, pulling the ovens down in continued dereliction. Hopefully some can be conserved.

For those who don’t know bottle ovens are bottle shaped buildings containing a central kiln which the oven surrounds. Pottery was stacked inside the kiln and fired by stoking fires under the ovens with coal.

Canal boats

Posted on April 7, 2019April 7, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Canal, Canal boats, Countryside, Etruria, Industrial landscape, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Town, Trent and Mersy canal9 Comments

Pictures of the Trent and Mersy canal, these photos are by a friend. The painting is up in the warehouse next to the summit lock ,number 42 on the canal at Etruria.

Canal boats allow you to travel around the countryside without having to use a car except for going to your departure point and parking up. Canal cruises are usually circular so you travel around or along a route and return to your starting point. There are famous routes like the Cheshire ring which can be done over a few days. There are also hotel boats where you have a cabin but all the chores are done by a housekeeper.

There are apparently more canals in Birmingham in the English Midlands than there are in Venice.

Some canals and rivers run either side by side or into one another. The landscape can either be countryside, industrial or town buildings, it just depends where you travel. There is much more information available from the Canal and Rivers Trust.

Photos of Warhorse

Posted on April 7, 2019April 7, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Beauty, Photos, Play, Power, Sculpture, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Theatre, Warhorse2 Comments

I wrote about going to see Warhorse last week, but I did a drawing because we were not allowed to take photos.

Then I found these photos on line. I think they are publicity shots which are allowed to be shared. If they suddenly disappear you will know why.

They just show the beauty and also horror of the play. Such strong sculptural images.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Stoke-on trent