This picture was painted on an iPad. I did this one back in 2012, I’d just received notification that my pension pot with Kodak had almost halved due to them declaring bankruptcy and moving production back to the USA. Sod everyone else who worked for them worldwide.
We lost out big time and that’s why I had a rant in this obscure painting I did at the time.
A simple river scene, first time attempt with charcoal.
Who are your favorite artists?
I admire anyone who has artistic talent. However at a push I’d easily rate Bob Ross as my favourite.
Why?
If you were an easily influenced teenager through the eighties, you couldn’t help but see this easygoing extremely pleasant individual on your television screens in the afternoons trying to convince everyone that they had a masterpiece within them.
He wasn’t wrong, I’ve had a few lessons using his technique and I’ve produced a personal masterpiece in every session.
The guy had the ability to pull achievements out of people that they didn’t know they had inside them. He taught that art was for everyone not just the gifted few, and I loved that.
Beyond that my favourite artist is probably Constable, as I loved his detailed countryside landscapes.
But Bobs the man for me. And a local artist called Raymond Riley who taught me Bobs techniques, superb humans in my eyes, and wonderful teachers.
Have a lovely day.
What skill would you like to learn?
I love art, I love to draw I love to paint but realistically I am crap at it.
My father, both sisters and both brothers were so artistic but me? No. I just can’t do it. But I love it.
I often wonder if other people over time, artists, that is, were also crap . So crap that they invented such art forms as cubism and such. I’m not in anyway calling myself an artist, a P*ss artist maybe but never an artistic fellow.
I have lessons, I attend art classes but I just don’t cut the mustard. I guess I’m just destined to be one of life’s tryers.
I’m sure I’m probably beyond learning now, god knows I’ve been trying long enough. However I enjoy it, it keeps me calm and relaxed, and that’s not such a bad thing.
I just wish I could draw.
Have an arty day everyone…
This last week I have been away at a lovely location in Norfolk enjoying a few days away with the family.
There was an activity taking place that was an introduction to pottery, and here they were going to teach a technique that has been around for millenniums – Pinch pottery. I did pottery at school and was ok with it but I never made anything to write home about.
To be totally honest I had no idea as to what I was going to do, but everything I’m doing lately seems to be in memory of our little dog who passed away in August of this year. Still very raw, I think of him a lot, and I’ve made this little pot for him. Yep it’s crap but it’s my crap, it’s a reminder of good times for me, a cartoon representation of him and on the rear of it I’ve signed it and stated where I made it.
It’s my first attempt in about 45 yrs and everyone has to start somewhere. I doubt I will take it up as a hobby at home but I enjoyed it, and for a small period of time I was productive, something I have been lacking in of late. It was most therapeutic.
It’s now home, and in the next few weeks I will paint and seal it and hopefully have a nicely presented little keepsake. You can see the finished item here: Pinch Pottery Pt:2
I love trying new things, I loved doing this and who knows I may book a class and look at doing more in the future, just not at home. The missus would kill me 😂
Whilst I understand fully why people don’t like tattoos, I personally love them. Yes there are some awful ones out there however many are works of art and those that dispense them are artists.
For me they represent something I love, a time or a place that brings great comfort or memories flooding back to me, representing something deeply personal and special that has featured prominently in my life.
And this one is for my best mate, Alf who sadly left us on the 16th August this year.
When Alf passed away the first thing the vet did was take a paw print off of him that was put into a card, I said to my wife at this point that I’d have a word with my tattooist, Pablo, and see if he could do something with it. Today I have met with Pablo and the tattoo is being done.
Alf was known throughout the family as “Alfie Moon” and I asked for this to be incorporated into the finished tattoo, and after about an hour the job is done and though a bit sore im really pleased with the outcome.
It won’t be in its full glory until the healing has finished in a week or two, for now it’s all about keeping it clean and protected and moisturised until that time.
It’s my way of remembering a faithful friend and companion that I now know will be forever with me, in my memory and now etched on to me. When people ask I can tell them the many stories of “Alfie Moon” – A very good boy.
Tattoos, taboo in many peoples eyes, but try to see the world through the eyes of others, it is an art form and art is a form of expression. If it helps, it cannot be a bad thing. And in my case my tattoos tell my life story and those special people, animals and places that have touched it.
I’m a walking art gallery, to some.
But probably not to others, the choice is yours, and yours alone.
My wife’s best friend is getting married this weekend, so we have ventured away from our place in the East Midlands, down to the smoke on the outskirts of north London.
For 54 years of my life I lived in this area so I know it very well both man and child. Most of my formative years were spent in and around here just doing what kids growing up used to do. But today I’m back here as an adult and things today look so different from when I was younger. However one place looks as serene and beautiful as ever.
And that is Mr. Gilbert’s place.
When I was at my junior school we put on a show called, “The pirates of Penzance”. I remember dressing up and singing many jaunty songs but at the time I never made the connection.
Then one day, playing with my friends we ventured up to Old Redding on the borders of Harrow, Stanmore and Oxhey, where there were woods and cycle tracks and people walking dogs, in avenues of what I now know are rhododendron bushes. There was a small lake, and then when you wandered through the beautiful display of flowers you came upon this beautiful sight.
Speaking with my parents it now became clear that we had stumbled across the former home of the dramatist W.S Gilbert, him of Gilbert and Sullivan fame who’d written that show I was in at school, it all now fell into place.
The manor is now a hotel and that is why my wife and I are here this weekend. The Manor House is steeped in history and is still the HQ of the W.S Gilbert society who regularly stage his shows in the environment in which they were written.
Now Mr.Gilbert unfortunately saw his demise here at the lake in the grounds. In 1911 he was giving a swimming lesson to two ladies when one of them got into trouble whilst attempting to swim, he dived in to save her but unfortunately had a heart attack and his life ended there.
The manor went through changes of ownership throughout the years before being taken over by Best Western a few years ago.
The grounds are some of the best maintained that you will ever see in a hotel environment, there is wildlife freely roaming and as we were having a drink just last evening we had the company of some small deer not far from us.
It’s hard to believe we are just a few hundred yards from busy main roads, it’s just so quiet. You are guaranteed a peaceful stay here at Mr.Gilberts, it our go to place whenever we are in this part of the world.
If you’re ever in this part of the world just walk through or stay for a while. There are excellent travel links to central London and not many better places than this to have a base. It’s a touch of total tranquility on the outskirts of one of the world’s most manic city environments.
To many it probably looks a mess. To me it’s a place of happiness, it’s an art work being constantly touched up, it’s a labour of love. Six years after I started this garden it’s now finally starting to take shape and today I even had the wife’s seal of approval. And that crowns it for me.
People watch these shows on tv and instantly expect a beautiful renovated instant garden. This simply doesn’t happen.
My garden has been a massive experiment over the years. I’ve lost count of the amount of different plants I’ve placed only for each of them to fail after one season, then you have to ask the reasons why.
Our front garden is Sth facing so I have sun on that most of the day and plants like Lavender and lilac always display spectacularly, baskets and salvias love the front garden, but the front is not as advanced as my back garden, and I’m going to give it attention towards the end of this summer. I’m currently adding plants one at a time. The aim here is a typical country garden in the middle of a city. It’s a challenge.
However my back garden naturally is North facing, with only a glimmer of sunshine, so I have to plant here accordingly. Because of my neighbours, all who love concrete, and who have no green space, my garden naturally suffers from excess water run off from their properties.
I have introduced Hornbeam hedging only a few months ago that again will take time to mature, I have planted a number of ornamental trees to assist with drainage and things are looking positive. The plants I have in place are all bee friendly. We have loads of them as well as butterflies, lady birds and other insect life. I also have a small section near a small rockery area that I have left wilded, the flowers here blend in beautifully. I have a lot of wildlife in this garden, I have some small birds such as wrens going through the bushes that we have never seen here before, we have blackbirds, Robins, blue tits, finches and the pigeons and the magpies who are the antisocial members of the bird family. We also have the occasional Red Kite soar overhead, it’s amazing how the Pigeons and Magpies disappear when they are around. And naturally being the county of the Fox, they are also regular visitors.
And my garden is small, it’s only about 50ft square, and about a mile or so from the city centre.
I have a feral cat who has been a resident here long before we were, and she even chases the foxes who also enter the garden. Just take a look of her protecting the garden from a fox in this small video below:
The crowning glory is that we have regular hedgehog visitors. We leave nibbles and water out for them at night, we have introduced a highway through the garden with access from our property to others. We have ramps in place alongside the steps to help them about the property. Seeing we are right in the city we are probably one of only a few places of peace and serenity for them in this mad crazy town.
I really feel for those that don’t have access to a garden, it really is a place where you can lose yourself. It’s your own constantly developing work of art. I love having visitors to the garden, I love showing them what we have done and what we have planned, and I love helping people transform and achieve their little works of art. My garden has been a life saver for me, and allowed me to maintain my sanity when it all starts getting a bit too much.
Gardens should be compulsory, but unfortunately in this super high speed world, people just want everything low maintenance and that’s a shame.
Don’t even mention imitation grass to me – it should be banned.
The wife said, “You were right, you said it would take time, it looks lovely.” And that meant the world to me.
Thanks for passing by.
What does freedom mean to you?
Purism that’s what it means to me. Now I’m not talking traditional freedoms that one expects as being a resident of this planet as I know there are many places on earth where that is not feasible because someone is telling you that you can’t have that freedom.
Purism allows you to do it your way. I like painting but many would say I do it wrong, I say it’s how I want to do it, my own way not influenced by others totally pure. My electronics, I’m told I go about it the wrong way but I achieve the same results and learn stuff along the way, my way and that’s pure. Freedom of expression, I have no dress sense at all but that’s me and I like the way I dress, I don’t dress to impress others. That’s me and that’s pure. This is freedom to me.
Want to find true freedom? Do what you want and don’t worry about what others want you to do. Never envy, just admire. Be pure at heart and be a good human. Don’t let others dictate your path in life. Find your own way.
Be peaceful all…
Life’s to do list has always been quite extensive for me. Within that list was the wish to attend an opera for the first time. That wish came true at the grand old age of 57, on Friday 24th March 2023 at the Demontfort hall in Leicester.
The Ukrainian Opera and Ballet company from Kyiv were here performing Puccini’s La Boheme.
I had a read up of what to expect the night prior to attending. I must say I was not at all disappointed, it was a beautiful experience, wonderful singing and you cannot beat a live orchestra. Those stringed instruments sounded heavenly and it was a few hours of entertainment that I must admit just took you away from the pressures of modern life and transported you back to a time when the world was running at a slower pace.
Did i enjoy it? You bet ya, however I’ll have to attend the next one with someone who appreciates this entertainment as the wife does not fit that category.
I feel as if a void in my life has now been filled, I have found an appreciation for this type of entertainment that I thought I did not have. My journey into the world of opera has begun.
Long May it last.
Foxes Den 
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