Tag Archives: Mission Gallery

Recognition

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The word “recognition” has two senses to it and they are both relevant to this post and my walk through Swansea Marina. Firstly,  I recognise, in particular the old pump house on the left, the Seamen’s Chapel (Mission Gallery – see below) on the right and, most significantly to me, the building in which my wife and I had a studio which looked out over the marina as it changed from disused docks to the flourishing Maritime Quarter.

My wife, Ceramic Artist Julie Brunskill, will be Maker in Focus at the Mission Gallery from Tuesday 23rd February – 2nd April. Don’t miss it!

Recognition can also mean an acknowledgement of remembrance and in the photos below you will see black flags flying from some of the boats. Their ragged appearance has a haunting effect in amongst all the masts and rigging. My assumption is that they were there in recognition of David Bowie’s death a week earlier. That was just over a month ago now – R.I.P. David Bowie, I have enjoyed your music throughout my life.

Swansea Marina

Painting a Picture – Web in the Foreground

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Sitting on the edge of the pier wall in Swansea docks, eating my lunch and enjoying the amazingly still day during the Mission Gallery Walk and Draw I went on last week, this spider web caught my eye.

There being hardly a breath of wind allowed me the opportunity to get a photo of it with the blurred colours of dockland buildings in the background. I really like those blurred colours – they make me think of this as a piece of abstract painting, perhaps one that has been sitting around in the attic for a few years.

Considering the number of paintings and pictures we have in our attic, that vision of this image doesn’t take much imagination. What’s in your attic?

spider web

Trolley Cemetery and a New View of Drawing

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Decaying with time, these old trolleys create a strange cemetery in the mouth of the River Tawe, Swansea.

Those that already follow this blog will know that there is more to come throughout this week to tell the story of a recent walk in the docks/marina area of Swansea.

The walk was the second Mission Gallery Walk and Draw with Sarah Abbott that I have taken part in. On this occasion, while I did a little sketching, most of my drawing was with my DSLR camera, iPhone and small edirol sound recorder.

Having read that the winner of the Jerwood Drawing Prize this year was sound artist  Alison Carlier, I felt that my description of drawing with my camera and sound recorder while out on pre-production recce walks for StillWalks videos, is perfectly valid.

With The Big Draw continuing throughout this month, perhaps it is an appropriate time to consider and enjoy the broadening definition of drawing.

trolleys in sand

trolley in sand

Old fence section

trolley in sand

An Alternative Viewpoint

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Last weekend I went on a art walk with Sarah Abbott from the Mission Gallery in Swansea. We went down to the dunes at the eastern end of Swansea Bay with sketch books and cameras, etc.

Sometimes the places you know best are those that are hardest to “see”. I have done a fair amount of photography in the bay but I have not produced a StillWalks video there. Taking a look at a place with someone else can be helpful in that the interaction of perception can prompt a fresh way of seeing the familiar.

Swansea Bay Cranes

Swansea Bay Cranes