Category Archives: art

Intention and Interpretation

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I didn’t have to pick out these photos from the shoot I did on that dreary day in Mumbles – for that matter, I didn’t have to take the photos in the first place. The images were processed and uploaded a week ago and now that I come to write this post, I wonder what my reasoning may have been. What was my intention and what might be my, or your interpretation of them?

I find I am reading things into them now that may have been sub-conscious at the time of production or even post production – but that time to reflect is very valuable. All of the work I have produced as an artist over the years was made over greater or lesser amounts of time, naturally, but just as the meaning of a piece of art can be different for each individual, so it can also change for the artist.

Some of my other art work can be seen here.

Mumbles Lighthouse

Mumbles Lighthouse

What I Like – Image Composition

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When selecting images to post on this blog I try to pick photos that I like for a range of different reasons – composition, texture, pattern – perhaps most importantly, how well they depict my memory of the place they represent.

My main reason for choosing the images below is composition. In the first shot I particularly like the combined shapes of the light – the oblique oval of reflected light on the water of the canal and the quarter oval of light in the sky. The image, for me, is not so much about the reflection of land on water as the abstract shapes of light and dark, hence my rendering of the second image.

The composition of the last photo has nothing to do with manipulation. This was simply the way the reflection appeared with the apparent shape mask being created by the reflection of the wall and underside of a bridge over the canal. The shot was a little underexposed but this made for a more dynamic and abstract composition.

Complementary images are posted on Instagram through the week and can also be seen on the sidebar of the StillWalks blog.

Tennant Canal

Tennant Canal Composition

abstract reflection

 

 

Repeating Pattern and Railing Art

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You can find these railings with their reflection of wave forms and froth in front of the Italian Gardens on Penarth Esplanade in South Wales – a pleasant place to sit with a good view of the Bristol Channel.

Railing Art

Railing Art

Celebrating Dylan Thomas

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In celebration of the centenary of the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, I thought I would post a second time today with a link to my StillWalks video “Cwmdonkin Walk – Autumn”. The park in Swansea was a significant feature in Dylan’s life and has seen some notable improvements in the last year to celebrate his centenary.

I have upgraded the normal sample version of the video to the full length at a higher resolution and hope that you will enjoy it as much as those people using it on a daily basis.

Click here or the image below to watch the full video (8 minutes).

Cwmdonkin Park

Fountain in the Old Docks

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Cardiff Bay as it is now, is so different to what it was when we first moved to Wales in 1983. It was later in the ’80s that the development began – I wish I had taken photographs back then. There are plenty images to be seen in the galleries (past and present) on the bay website along with the history of the development, but they are not mine and I cannot compare them to the photos I take of the place nowadays.

The fountain in the image below is set into one of the old dock walls.

Fountain

Columns and Context

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I like the arrangement of these lighting columns in Cardiff Bay but to put them properly in context you need to look at the wider picture at the bottom of this post.

I thought the dark lump on the glass discs in the second image was something nasty but on closer inspection, it looks like it is a lump of moss . . . so that’s one for the Moss Appreciation Society!

Cardiff Columns

Cardiff Bay Architecture-14

Cardiff Columns

Building Materials – Bronze and Slate

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The materials used in the building of the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay are not the only impressive aspect of this piece of architecture. The design by Jonathan Adams seems to defy gravity with the impression of a huge overhanging weight at the front of the building.

The contrasting materials of bronze and slate complement each other beautifully both in colour and texture. The setting within the “arena” at the centre of Cardiff Bay allows enough space for the scale and for people to stand back and take in what makes for a great piece of architectural art.

Wales Millennium Centre

Wales Millennium Centre