The Textures of Swansea Canal

Posted on 15/03/201615/03/2016 by Alastair

From liquid smooth through crusty and tatty to razor sharp, the range of textures I spotted on my walk along Swansea canal was wide, to say nothing of the colour and pattern, light and shade that created a natural art exhibition for me.

The water of the canal may have reflected the colour in the sky on this beautiful morning, but it certainly did not reflect the texture of the barbed wire fence round the Mond Nickel Works.

And there was pattern to be seen in the reflection of light from the water under one of the bridges and a very crusty texture on the pipe structures also crossing the canal.

Art and Direction

Posted on 19/02/201619/02/2016 by Alastair

Walking back towards the seafront from the marina in Swansea Bay I passed three of the many sculptures situated in the Maritime Quarter. These are three of several weather vane art works for which Robin Campbell was responsible as an architect working with Swansea Council in the ’80s and 90’s. I can remember sculptor and potter, Martin Williams, working on this first piece in the studio next door to mine (see yesterday’s post).

The weather vanes are clearly all still fully operational as the wind direction indicated by each tallied with the others. If the wind seemed calmer in the shelter of the marina on this walk, on my return to the seafront it was again obvious and bringing further murky weather over from across the bay at Mumbles where you can just about make out Mumbles Lighthouse.

Recognition

Posted on 18/02/201618/02/2016 by Alastair

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.

River Art and Sculpture

Posted on 23/01/201623/01/2016 by Alastair

Walking up the footpath alongside the Lagan in Belfast, the river again attempts to produce its own art in the form of sculpture in the water. The working material may be an old trolley but with the reflection on the water’s surface, I couldn’t help thinking of it as a piece of art in keeping with the “bottle top” or the “graffiti” to be seen by the river bank.

River, Railings, Ripples and Reflections

Posted on 22/01/201622/01/2016 by Alastair

Moving on with my city walk in Belfast I have returned to the River Lagan. There is no frost here as there was at the start of my walk higher up the river but that doesn’t mean the river is any less attractive or interesting.

The Lagan creates its own art in the reflected patterns of railings distorted by ripples or the mirror effect on twigs projecting out of the still water.

City Patterns

Posted on 21/01/201621/01/2016 by Alastair

Walking around Belfast revealed many fascinating structures in the architecture. The camera can be a very useful tool when it comes to focusing on aspects of buildings that create fascinating patterns when isolated from their surroundings. The patterns are there anyway but it is not always easy to pick them out amongst the complexity of their surroundings. Sometimes, of course, it is a combination of structures seen from a particular angle that does the trick.

City Sounds 2

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The Wallace Garden

Posted on 04/11/201504/11/2015 by Alastair

Within the Botanic Garden of Wales (NBGW) where we were walking in September, there are a number of other gardens. My photos today are from the Wallace Garden and although they do not show the double helix arrangement of the paths, as this was not as easy to see as it is sometimes due to the content of the beds, it seemed less important to try and capture it.

It seems there is something different in the garden every time we visit and what you see below is some of what was there on this occasion in September – it will be different now and then again in Spring.

Wallace Garden exit/entrance

Alfred Russel Wallace

Sculpture in the Wallace Garden by Dilys Jackson

Dockland Buffers – Comparing Colour and Monochrome

Posted on 24/10/201524/10/2015 by Alastair

Aha! Those objects I couldn’t clearly identify earlier in the week on our walk across Cardiff Bay barrage, are buffers for ships using the docks.

Although I find these scenes interesting and those buffers fascinating, I wondered what they might be like in black and white. It is perhaps best to say b&w rather than monochrome because I deepened the darker areas, strengthened the contrast, added some grain and left no hint of colour in any spectrum.