more stuff

I don't have anything to say but here are two photo's one I took this morning. When I got up the sun was shining brightly through the window and I love light and shadows so took a bunch of photo's of stuff against a white bit of paper.





I had been collecting feathers with the idea that the last big painting I did was a bit lacking in something and perhaps feathers falling might be interesting. I have gone off the idea at present but I like the feathers.





The second picture has been genetically altered, well, no: digitally, actually. sometyimes it's nice to clart around as we say around here.








I have done a little drawing, yes literally a little drawing but can't quite be bothered to find it and upload it, its of a curve of cars. OH; THERE IT IS RIGHT AT THE TOP WHEN i WANTED IT AT THE BOTTOM. Drew it in Birmingham (and may I mention I think I know signing for 'Birminham' as well as 'b*gger off!' thie latter is reserved for Heather, the wife. and only in fun you understasnd ) while visiting son no1 and his wife in their new home which has squiirels outside and the biggest pine cones I ever did see. I was up early and drew this out the window.





Bought best of Everything but the girl, old stuff before they went all sparse and dancey; when tracy was given proper songs to sing. Given the right song Tracy Thorn is one of the best singers in the world without a shadow of doubt.


Went to Dunstanburg today with son no2. clambered about on the rocks and dropped my camera fortunately not in the sea. Saw some sheep.

Listened to Alice Cooper and Jethro Tull in the car (on tape not in person-the car's not that big.), I have very eclectic tastes. And talking of words exoteric: thats yet another word I never knew and have not yet used. WAtch this space.

its only fair to warn readers that today's etymology is scatological, at least I think it is. I was perusing the fact that we can talk about the same thing, but the words we use determine acceptability or otherwise. For example it is ok to use the word poo especially with children, poop is ok in older company as well as younger, it is a bit funny and a bit harmless: the word Toad uses when thinking about driving; crap, a bit more adolescent, less childish for those a bit embarrassed by poo; dump: american and more descriptive but not ,in my books for mixed company; sh*t : no good at all for polite company despite being a favorite of filmakers as a last word before some disaster such as one's car plunging off a cliff. SSSSS

HHHHHHH

*******

*******

********

*

*

T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SPLAT.

Sh*te: despite being the original anglosaxon or old english is now considered very crude and common and definitely not for polite society.

anyway I was thinking about it partly because I saw a small woman out walking two very big dogs the other morning and she had two big carrier bags, not pooperscopperbags, and they looked full. Sadly I was too slow with the camera but I thought it looked quite interesting. I do feel a little sorry for good dog owners walking the streets carrying bags of poo) But when I step in some somehow 'poo' isn't a strong enough word! Well done that good dog owner. And on the subject of good dogs, I don't really think a dog can be good or bad as they are incapable of moral choices unlike their owners.

Anyway on the subject of cameras I have decided to stop fighting it and admit I am a photographer as well as an artist; there, I admit it.Here's one I took today.

OH its gone to the top

anyway hope no-one was offende dby today's content I am on holiday you know.

week 4 of my summer break and I've only painted one painting that I can recall, taken lots of photo's but not as many as someone I know who went to Japan for a couple of weeks or maybe 3 and took 1000 photo#s! must be at least one or two good ones among that lot.

This is the painting, a larger version of one done earlier this year. It has photo'd a bit hard, the painting looks a little softer in the 'flesh' but I have struggled with the top middle fold and may paint it out yet. we'll see. well I did and the one on the left, (why it's a different colour I don't know) but I painted out the top fold which I thought too heavy.

Went to see the Beryl Cook exhibition last week, I may have said this already, but although I am not a fan of her silly stuff I thought some were very good paintings; good compositions making very good use of the small rectangle she paints in. Apparently she likes black.



Talking of photo's and the taking thereof, a week and a bit ago I went out taking pictures of people for to use in September's classes when and where we are drawing people. well didn#t someone call the police on me1 now I know I have a funny look but it was quite embarrassing, the young cop was very nice about it and after seeing that my pictures were mainly of a bunch of blokes playing cricket and another bunch of blokes playing cricket he was quite happy, but with hindsight I can see how I must have made some people feel uncomfortable.

well, I'm on holiday, and have had a couple of shocks, first I found I couldn't spell Bamra!...went there very early one morning having awoken at 4.15 , took some photo's and then took out my sketchbook and had my first shock (the spelling shock came later), , I couldn't draw!

I blame the digital camera. I know some people speak of using their camera as a sketchbook but that's its a bit of a misnomer ...I think...( just checking my dictionary..) yes misnomer, and speaking of dictionaies I bought myself a book of emtymology, I think I did ...and if you haven't listened to the guitar solo in Aqualung by Jethro Tull and you claim to like gutar solos then you really should (not so sure of the actual song though) .

anyway: enteritis; enterprise, ah; yes, entemilogy spelled entomology, prefer emptymology myself.. study of insects, no no no, I wanted the study of the history of worrds,oh there it is, Blackies compact etymological dictionary although the book I was using is just called Word Origins. and did you know that 'nice' was originally negative, implying foolishness or ignorance?

As for the worrd nuisance which comes to mind (well the minds of any fmaily members present at the time) whenever I reach for my etymology book, originaly meant to do proper serious harm, not the minor irritation of a person explaining, uninvited, the meaning of words. did you know cretin was once a nice word (new meaning of nice) now its a nice word (old meaning, well nearly).

anyway I blame camera for shrivelling my drawing ability, so I must draw more. I used to go out with a sketchbook and come back with 2 or 3 sketches or 1 proper drawing- now I go out with a camera (or sometimes 2) and come back with 30 or 40 photo's.

MUST DRAW MORE, OR DRORE MAW.

Anyway on the way back from a short break in Coldingham near St Abbs (v. nice: new meaning)

Heather and I stopped at Holy I sland (1 sketch: 10 photo's) and went into the cafe whereI saw a mother with (what I took to be) her 3 daughters, husband and mother/mother in law.

This woman was wearing one of those t shirts that are made to read; on the front it just said: PROBABLY. Oh, I thought, in all innocence: probably what? then she turned and the rest read... the best fcuk ever. Readers I was shocked. Was I right to be shocked? then I was bemused: what kind of culture are we that it is ok to declare to the world or at least to the cafe with all family there that you are probaby....?

proper disconcerted I was, a sensitive soul .

went home did some drawing and a bit of painting then watched Heroes on telly.

went to bed and dreamed of being shot! strange.

Bambough! bamberg? Bamburg? how come the right spelling looks wrongest?