New paintings and regular art updates.
A snowy cottage (with led lights) and a flowerbed for cut flowers. Made by a craft group I’m in. The wooden model was mostly painted with white acrylic to replicate snow. I added dark outlines to indicate bricks, stone and tiles.
This is not a good photo, but it gives you an idea of it’s size. At least it feels like I did something artistic last week.
Photo by a friend of a tile found in the basement of the old Stoke Library. I think he said it was by Minton tiles. This is also similar to the green imp badge that the brownies have on their uniform. (Brownies are younger members of the Girl Guides movement.)
I’m well and truly addicted to this game. First it was Spider Solitaire, then Wordle, now this. I seem to be able to do it quite well and quickly, sometimes matching 3 pairs of tiles in 1.51 seconds. I’ve won a few games because I keep going for too long, but the competitivness inside me makes me want to win. Although I feel guilty leaving other players behind. I guess I’m slightly obsessed by this at the moment! And because I can play by just using a finger it’s not physically difficult to do. My shake is mainly in the left hand and arm so I rest my phone on the chair arm to play.
My guttering around the house has been dripping on me. When I finally looked up I could see grass protruding from the gutter above the front door. Every time I went out in the rain I got wet.
Luckily the neighbours recommend a workman who would clean it out. He came today to do the work, it literally took 10 minutes, including putting the ladder up to the roof, but it’s worth having it done. He bought down a bucket full of moss, leaves and grass. Hopefully it is now sorted out. He asked me how long it’s been since I’ve had the guttering cleared and I had to admit it must be over twenty years. That means the cost was a few pence for every year I have lived here!
One of the things to do at the British Ceramic biennial was to have fun making clay tiles that will grow in a wildflower meadow next spring. We made unfired tiles made to look a bit like Minton floor tiles. The clays were chosen to be different acidities so that they suited wild flower seeds. The clay was mixed with hay and pushed into moulds, then we had to make holes and push the seeds into them. Finally we pressed a shape into the top of the tile and fill the resultant spaces with different coloured slips.
I was rehearsing for our Christmas concert (we are doing it to fund another pantomime in 2025). I saw these tiles up by the altar. I think they are Minton tiles. I also think the church was designed by Pugin?
The acoustics are very good in there and we had great fun trying to get the right harmonies for silent night. The concert is due to happen on the evening of December 15th this year. As well as traditional carols there will be rock and roll songs and some solos and duets. There may also be recitals of poetry.
There are other tiles in the church, so it might be an idea to listen to the concert and have a good look round.
Group of blocks, duplicated in a symmetrical pattern. I think the blues and oranges of the tiles, which are complementary colours add to the composition, as do the strong diagonals created by a bright shaft of sunlight. This was originally a photo taken in the shop at Middleport pottery, I think taken in the autumn.
Tiles in sunlight. Yesterday we visited Middleport pottery and went into the shop. These tiles were hanging on the wall, the sunlight shining on them. I liked the abstract look of this. I could have taken pictures of all the plates and patterns in there, but I took this instead. Whoever put this display up could have just put the tiles up in square blocks, but instead it’s been done in an asymmetric pattern.
Pattern making again. Using greens ink spray that has a sheen to it. Then I drew scale patterns over the top. Finally I wanted three simple elements to add to each scale or tile that would give it an art deco? feel. So I added a wave shape, a dark patch and some vertical lines. With these patterns I think the scales started to look a little like birds.
Loud knock on the door. I opened the door to see a man in a mask under his chin proffering his elbow?! I stood back. Er can I help you? I’m your neighbours landlord. ( OK, so I know my neighbour owns his own house which is not in good condition). I didn’t believe him.
The man said I’m just doing work on your neighbours house and damp is getting in from your chimney. Is it? I asked. (We have problems with damp from next door). He said I’ve got a man on the roof now and I will go halves, I’ll charge £600 and you will pay £300. I said I can’t afford that, he wandered off and offered £200. I said I’m not sure, will have to talk to my husband. So then he said he was working on a house three doors up? So I said how does damp from my roof get three doors up (we are in a terraced house). He then said the water tracks under the roofing felt (this would be uphill and up brick walls)….. So I said which house do you own and he said the one up the hill with the purple bricks sign.
So then hubby arrived. He was not impressed. We walked across the road and yes we could see one missing tile. We could also see no one on the other roof, no ladder, no scaffolding. Do these people realise we use our eyes? Hubby told the man he wanted to see proof of who he was and proof he owned the house up the hill. By this time the man looked panicked. Hubby can be forceful when he wants and said no we would get our own builder in. The man was now upset, seeing £200 melt before his eyes and clearly worried by my hubbies attitude. I calmed things down. We bumped elbows and said goodbye. I don’t think he will be back!
Mallaband-Brown