Metallic Canvas

Posted on 11/04/201311/04/2013 by Alastair

This metallic canvas is Turner-esque in the violence of the storm – but I did nothing, just took the photo!

The texture . . .

. . . and vibrance of the colour amazes me.

I love it but . . .

. . . it’s just . . .

. . . an old freezer . . .

. . . destined for the scrap merchant.

Of course, it should never have been burnt, but it has provided me with some interesting material to play with and add to my collection of metal (weird, I know). I shall be recording some of sounds it can make soon. Anyone interested can listen to my metallic sound collections on SoundCloud here and here or click below. If you can’t see the sound files below, please visit the blog page.

The last clip in this first set is the best!

Satellite Landscape?

Posted on 10/04/201310/04/2013 by Alastair

Is this a satellite view over a coastal estuary?

Is this a satellite view over a rocky coastline?

Have we zoomed in on GoogleEarth?

What part of the world might this be?

Check in tomorrow to know more! No direct tags today to give away the game 😉

If you have the answer, which one do you think is the greatest giveaway? Just comment 1, 2, 3 or 4 so as to keep at least some guessing.

Climbing to the Top

Posted on 09/04/201309/04/2013 by Alastair

Yesterday afternoon I had the need to get on top of things. Without going into details, the answer for me was to climb our local mountain, Graig Fawr.

Even on the lower slopes of the mountain you get a great view over the valley but as I climbed higher this view got better and better. Skylarks twittered above me and I got a good close view of a pair of Red Kites. Up on top the wind was exhilarating and, at least momentarily, my troubles were blown away. Seeing the land and the weather on this scale has a tendency to put other issues into perspective.

Despite its name (fawr means big in Welsh), the mountain is only small but for all that you get a great view over four or five counties in South Wales. I had deliberately not taken my cameras or sound kit as it was the walk and the climb that I needed. However, I couldn’t resist taking one or two shots on my phone. I have not produced a StillWalk on Graig Fawr yet but I think that time is coming soon.

Graig Fawr

Graig Fawr Triangulation Point

Looking to Carmarthenshire

Light and Dark Over Wales

Horsey horsey don’t you stop . . .

Posted on 08/04/201308/04/2013 by Alastair

The season has started again – I spent the weekend doing equestrian photography for Clydach Riding Club. It was their second event of the year and the sun shone all day giving me sunburn on the back of my neck. Mostly I only do the CRC shows but if anyone asks me to do any other equestrian photography, I am happy to do so. Check out StillWalks Equestrian.

I usually take some extra shots on these days – some of them are below. The last one looks like it is in the middle of being Photoshopped, but the horse box really was that colour!

Photos from the show can be seen at www.stillwalks.photoshelter.com

I have moved this part of the StillWalks photography shop to Photoshelter and will be moving the main StillWalks photography there as well. Until I do, all StillWalks photos for sale can be found at www.photoboxgallery.com/stillwalks

Not all went to plan

Walking the course – No.1, No.2 . . .

Number 4

Number 5

Looking on

Extras

Great Ayton Walkabout – Birthplace of Captain Cook

Posted on 07/04/201307/04/2013 by Alastair

We had a great walk round Great Ayton during our Easter visit to Middlesbrough. It is a village I have known for over thirty years but not visited for probably twenty or more.

The day was cold but bright and I took a few photos, including the obligatory one of Captain Cook. One of my favourites was this one of the change of textures in the River Leven as it flows over a small weir.

Changing Textures

A Visit to Middlesbrough – Sculpture?

Posted on 06/04/201306/04/2013 by Alastair

Next to the Anish Kapoor sculpture, “Tenemos” (featured in yesterday’s post), are other “sculptures” which, although functional in their design, are fascinating and attractive in their own way.

The textures, colours and patterns of paint and rust are further enhanced by their juxtaposition with Kapoor’s work. And that, of course, is a part of the purpose of art – to help us see, understand and appreciate what is around us.

I wonder what it is like inside that crane?!

Tenemos and Crane

A Visit to Middlesbrough – Anish Kapoor

Posted on 05/04/201305/04/2013 by Alastair

Temenos by Anish Kapoor was erected in Middlesbrough about three years ago and I have been meaning to go take a look at it since then. As with Claes Oldenburg’s Bottle of Notes in yesterday’s post, there have been many photographs taken of this work of art – but these are mine!

It is an impressive structure which has the effect, as it should, of highlighting the sculptural appearance of many of the industrial structures around it (more of those tomorrow). In the background is Middlesbrough’s Transporter Bridge.

Temenos by Anish Kapoor

Temenos and Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge

A Visit to Middlesbrough – Claes Oldenburg and Haroon Mirza

Posted on 04/04/201304/04/2013 by Alastair

The Bottle of Notes sculpture by Claes Oldenburg is in the centre of Middlesbrough by MIMA (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art). There have been plenty of photos taken of it before now, but these are mine!

We had a short visit to Middlesbrough at Easter and managed, amongst other things, to see this, the MIMA exhibitions, the Anish Kapoor sculpture at Riverside Park (see tomorrow’s post) and had a walk round Great Ayton.

One of the exhibitions we saw at MIMA was Untitled Song by Haroon Mirza. I can’t show photos other than this wall in the gallery, but I did record part of the audio in the exhibition. Here is 30 seconds of it.

Haroon Mirza

You may not find the sound particularly easy to listen to – it’s not exactly popular music – but there was more to it than this sample and it worked well with the space and the sculptures by James Clarkson, some of which had been modified by Mirza.