New paintings and regular art updates.
I bought a kaleidiscope as a Christmas gift today, it will be part of a few gifts for a young relative. I had one as a child and I used toove the patterns it made so I aways looking for a similar type.
I’ve duplicated one photo I took through the viewing end because it was hard to line up the pattern with the lens of my camera, it gives a reasonable example of how it looks.
I’m amazed it’s sunny today, we started it with a bright red sunrise this morning that indicated bad weather. It has been grey and foggy for over two weeks, dark and gloomy. I’d begun to think the sun would never return. Hopefully the light will last a while.
It’s expected to be sunny for a couple of days before it starts to rain. I’m sad that it’s like that as in winter we have so few hours of sunshine anyway. I suppose you just have to find a way through.
I’ve just watched the film Warhorse, directed by Steven Speilberg. It’s the story of a part thoroughbred foal that is bought by a farmer who’s rivalry with his landlord causes him to buy the young horse for more than he can afford.
The farmers son trains the horse to pull a plough and work around the farm. But his father sells it to help save the farm.
The horse, Joey, is transported to France where it becomes part of the British Army and fights in the first world war. In the meantime the farmers son Albie joins up and goes to France to search for his friend. The story has a series of incidents where awful things happen to the boy and Joey. Will they find each other? I won’t say!
The story was originally on in the theatre, the horse and other animals were puppets, the main horse was supported and moved by two men and was made of a lattice work of plastic? strips that gave the impression of a horse.
It’s an excellent story and both theatre production and film brought tears to my eyes.
Name the most expensive personal item you’ve ever purchased (not your home or car).
45 years ago I bought myself a ladies mixtie frame 10 speed bike.
It cost £120 which was a lot of money then and as a student I had to pay monthly to get it. I think it took me 6 months.
But it got me through college and into the first jobs I had. It was my method of visiting family and friends. I must have ridden thousands of miles on it.
Bikes are a means of transport for all sorts of people. Who needs ebikes. Keep cycling.
What was your favorite subject in school?
I’ve loved art since I was a child. In fact, at school I would finish paintings ahead of everyone else in my class. One day I painted the wooden bit of my pencils to match the coloured part of them. I actually got in trouble for doing that. But I was bored. I got sent to see the headmaster (I was about 7),but ran into the cloakroom and hid. I was fetched back to class in tears and very upset. So much so my class thought I’d been smacked for painting the pencils! I was too upset to tell them what had really happened. I still loved art though!
It felt like I spent a whole day looking at people’s comments about the American election. The website Threads was full of discussions about how frightening it is for women.
It seems that support for Trump has increased across the country, feelings that he is some sort saviour abound. Why?
And what about his felonies, his lies, his bankruptcies? It seems that these things have been spoken about so much they have been normalised. It’s that old idea, water off a ducks back.
As long as eggs and milk are cheaper, who cares about cutting health care and pensions. I’m aghast at how selfish the results seem. We will see what happens. But it’s also frightening for the rest of the world.
Do you need time?
Health, life, memory, stuff.
I need to have time to learn about aspects of my health. I’m gradually finding things out that I never knew. I need to listen to experts and scientific fact and find out how I can support myself.
My life needs organising, the last year has been horrendous. Lots of stressors and worries. Trying to sort out paperwork and filling in so many forms. I keep finding things I should have done.
Memories are fading of my soul mate. I long to hear his voice. To hear a recording of him would be good. But seeing photos can cut too deep. Maybe I need more time to come to terms with what’s happened.
Stuff? That’s the pile of stuff that’s in front of me, things that need organising, removing or storing. All that takes time, which is what I need!
The world turns,
Cities fight for freedom,
One land or another is overwhelmed.
War, pestilence, natural disasters.
We seem to have all four horsemen
Riding around, a melee of fears?
The question is
What can we do?
Politics and Peace?
Politicians and War?
Who decides,
We do!
Imagine a world of peace
As Lennon sang
Idealistic but needed.
Invent a holiday! Explain how and why everyone should celebrate.
There may already be one?
A day to celebrate the Earth, a day to spend thinking about how to improve and support the world. Trying to clean the rivers and seas, reducing pollution, supporting poorer countries so the world uses greener and safer technologies. Actually caring about the land under our feet. Working out how to capture carbon and start to reduce gobal temperature surges. Hoping that the richest people get involved too.
Why? Because it’s needed, it could be the most important holiday that we ever create.
I do have a propensity to draw or paint on anything. So this happened a while ago. I also painted a large ammonite on the dining table that was losing it’s varnish. I painted it and then revarnished it. The ammonite was one we found on a beach near Whitby. The actual fossil is up on top of a bookcase, out of my reach.
Why the eye and the face with the streaming hair? Just a couple of things I’ve doodled over the years.
Mallaband-Brown